FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Burma

David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on the use by the Burmese Army of human shields in Shan State, Burma on 13 October 2013.

Hugo Swire: We are aware of these reports, but are not in a position to verify the specific allegation of the use of human shields by the Burmese army in Shan State. We continue to closely monitor the peace process and allegations of human rights abuses in conflict states in Burma. We remain positive that further peace talks in the coming months will lead to a nationwide ceasefire and inclusive political dialogue that takes account of international human rights standards.

Burma

David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent meetings the British ambassador to Burma has had with family members of Burmese political prisoners who remain in jail.

Hugo Swire: British embassy officials are in contact with the lawyers of a number of political prisoners. We meet regularly with civil society organisations including the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners Burma to discuss developments. We have also provided English language and human rights training to a number of released prisoners and are in regular contact with the Remaining Political Prisoners Scrutiny Committee.
	We welcomed the release of a further 69 political prisoners on 15 November which represents another step towards fulfilling President Thein Sein's commitment, made during his visit to London in July, to release all political prisoners by the end of the year.
	I continue to raise the issue of political prisoners, and did so most recently with Minister for the President's Office, Tin Naing Thein, on 22 November, and again made clear that we did not want to see new arrests or political activists re-arrested.

Burma

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what funding his Department provides to the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar.

Hugo Swire: The British Government does not directly fund the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar (Burma). UN Special Rapporteurs are funded from the UN regular budget, of which the UK contribution is 5.17%.

Burma

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received of British or international companies or individuals giving strategic or public relations advice to the Government of Burma.

Hugo Swire: We are aware of a number of British and international companies and individuals who are providing advice to the Government of Burma, across a range of subjects. We encourage the Government of Burma to draw on reputable international expertise where it can add value to the issues that they are tackling.

Burma

David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps the Government has taken to obtain the immediate and unconditional release of Bauk Ja and other remaining political prisoners in Burma.

Hugo Swire: Daw Bauk Ja is still detained with court proceedings ongoing. We continue to follow her case closely: British officials from the embassy in Rangoon raised Daw Bawk Ja's case with senior members of the Burmese Government in August. We also remain in touch with local Burmese organisations that support her and the many other political prisoners that remain detained.
	I raised the issue of political prisoners with Minister for the President's Office, Tin Naing Thein, on 22 November and made clear our concern about the political prisoners who are still detained in Burma.

Burma

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what meetings he has held with Burmese ethnic political and civil society leaders in the last year.

Hugo Swire: Four British Ministers have visited Burma in the last year. I visited in December 2012 and the Minister of State, Department for International Development, my right hon. Friend the Member for Rutland and Melton (Mr Duncan), visited in June 2013. During our respective visits, Mr Duncan and I met a wide range of leading Burmese political, religious and civil society leaders to discuss Burma's human rights situation and reform agenda. The British ambassador and embassy officials also meet regularly with ethnic and civil society leaders, in Rangoon, Naypyitaw, in the ethnic states, and in Thailand.
	In London, I engaged with a range of Burmese ethnic and civil society representatives at a briefing event in March 2013. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office and Department for International Development officials regularly meet representatives of Burma's ethnic and civil society groups, both those based in the UK and those visiting from Burma, such as the visit of the '88 Generation' of former political prisoners in June.
	Ministerial colleagues, including the Prime Minister, the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), and I, have met key Burmese political figures in the UK including: President Thein Sein; Ministers in the President's Office Aung Min and Soe Thane; and opposition leader Aung Sang Suu Kyi.

Kenya

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received from the British High Commission in Kenya about the proposed ban on khat in that country; and whether he has received representations from the Kenyan government on that matter.

Mark Simmonds: The British high commission Nairobi has reported Kenyan concerns within Kenya about the economic and social impact of the proposed reclassification of khat as a class C drug. We have discussed the rationale behind the proposed ban with the Kenyan Government on a number of occasions; on 17 September 2013 the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), discussed the matter with his Kenyan counterpart, Amina Mohamed. Most recently on 20 November the Head of Africa East and West department at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office met the Kenyan Parliamentary Select Committee on khat in London,

Ministers' Private Offices

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he (a) has appointed or (b) intends to appoint an enlarged ministerial office.

Hugh Robertson: The implications of the change on recruitment to Private Offices are currently being considered.

Somalia and Somaliland

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the effect of a reduction in remittances on security in Somalia and Somaliland.

Mark Simmonds: The Government remains determined to help facilitate a resolution to the challenges facing the Somali remittance corridor following the decision by Barclays Bank to withdraw services from a number of money service businesses. The Government is in the process of establishing an Action Group on Cross Border Remittances. One of the working groups of the Action Group will be mandated to develop a safe corridor pilot to ensure the continued flow of remittances to Somalia through secure, legitimate and accessible channels. This working group will consider, among other things, the impact that changes in the money service business sector might have on Somalia's wider stability and economic development. In the meantime, there are still a number of legal channels for remittances to flow through, as outlined in the Factsheet issued by the Foreign Office on 17 October, a copy of which will be deposited in the House of Commons Library.
	The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has not assessed what the effect would be of a reduction in remittances on security in Somalia and Somaliland. Any such assessment would be hard to substantiate given the lack of economic data available. However, there is no evidence at present to suggest that remittances to Somalia have reduced, or are likely to do so significantly in the near future. Nor is there any evidence that the security situation has changed as a result of money service businesses in the Somali corridor losing their bank accounts.

Venezuela

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his Venezuelan counterpart on peace and democracy in that country and the need for free and fair mayoral elections in December 2013.

Hugo Swire: The UK urges all parties in Venezuela to work together to reduce tension and promote political reconciliation, particularly around the municipal elections on 8 December. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), wrote to the Venezuelan Foreign Minister Elias Jaua on 18 November to express our hope that the UK and Venezuela can work to further our existing areas of bilateral cooperation. I also wrote to my counterpart and offered to discuss our relationship in more detail. Our ambassador in Caracas has had a number of discussions with government representatives and others about the electoral process and the importance of building bridges between all parts of Venezuelan society.

SCOTLAND

Flexible Working

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many officials in his Department make use of compressed hours arrangements as part of the Civil Service's flexible working hours scheme (a) above and (b) below director level.

David Mundell: Two Scotland Office officials below director level make use of compressed hours arrangements as part of the Civil Service's flexible working hours scheme. The Scotland Office has no officials above director level.

Secondment

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many of his Department's civil servants have been seconded to (a) the private sector and (b) trades unions in each year since 2010.

David Mundell: No Scotland Office officials have been seconded to (a) the private sector and (b) trades unions since 2010.

Secondment

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many secondees from (a) trades unions and (b) the voluntary sector have worked in his Department since 2010.

David Mundell: The Scotland Office has not had any secondees from either the trade unions or the voluntary sector since 2010.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Air Passenger Duty

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps she is taking to review air passenger duty in order to maintain competition for both investors in and visitors to Northern Ireland.

Theresa Villiers: The impact of Air Passenger Duty (APD) on Northern Ireland was carefully considered in 2011 and in recognition of Northern Ireland's unique circumstances, the Chancellor agreed to the Executive's request for the devolution of Bands B, C and D APD for all direct long-haul flights departing from Northern Ireland airports.
	The Executive did not request the devolution of APD for short-haul flights in Band A nor has this been raised with me subsequently by any Executive Minister. If a request for the devolution of Band A APD did come forward from the Executive, the Chancellor and I would, of course, consider it.
	The devolution of short-haul Band A APD flights would, as a result of the Azores judgment, entail a corresponding reduction in the block grant which the Minister for Finance and Personnel has estimated could be up to £90 million.

Flexible Working

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many officials in her Department make use of compressed hours arrangements as part of the Civil Service's flexible working hours scheme (a) above and (b) below director level.

Theresa Villiers: In my Department, two officials below director level make use of compressed hours arrangements. No members of the senior civil service have sought to make use of such arrangements.

Marriage

Michael Fabricant: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland pursuant to the answer of 21 November 2013, Official Report, column 979W, on marriage, if she will raise the matter of equal marriage with the First Minister and the Deputy First Minister and take steps to encourage them to introduce same-sex marriages in Northern Ireland.

Theresa Villiers: The constitutional arrangements in place mean that extending equal marriage to Northern Ireland is a decision for the Northern Ireland institutions to take.

Travel

Christopher Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the cost of travel within the UK was for her Department in each year since 2010; and how much of this was spent on (a) hire cars, (b) helicopter hire, (c) hotel accommodation and (d) subsistence.

Theresa Villiers: The details requested for travel within the UK are shown in the following table:
	
		
			 £ 
			  Total cost of travel (including flights and rail) Hire cars Helicopter hire Hotel accommodation Subsistence costs) 
			 2010-11 411,714 637 Nil 48,606 15,114 
			 2011-12 480,263 438 Nil 111,169 22,016 
			 2012-13 506,467 1,722 Nil 107,553 26,076 
		
	
	The costs relating to 2012-13 were greater than in previous years as a result of the very successful Jubilee visit to Northern Ireland, and the hosting of the G8 summit in Fermanagh. Post-2010-11, the Department generated significant savings by ending all former rental agreements for accommodation in London although, as a natural consequence, hotel and subsistence costs increased.
	In addition, on coming to office, the Government ended the practice of former Secretaries of State, including the previous Labour Government, of using a private jet for routine travel between Great Britain and Northern Ireland. This has saved considerable sums of money for the taxpayer, and helped the Department play its part in bringing under control the spiralling costs of Government we inherited.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Flexible Working

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many officials in his Department take advantage of compressed hours arrangements as part of the civil service flexible working hours scheme (a) above and (b) below director level.

Michael Penning: Within DWP compressed hours refers to a contractual arrangement between the Department and its full time employees. This arrangement means that the employee works their standard contractual hours over fewer days than normal.
	A total of 3,042 employees, all of which are below director level have such an arrangement recorded on the Department's personnel computer. No officials above director level have such an arrangement recorded.
	DWP employees are generally able to work ‘flexi time'. This means that, within limits and at times set to meet business need, employees may work longer hours than normal and use the excess hours to take 'flexi leave'. Such informal, non-contractual, irregular occurrences are not recorded on the Department's personnel computer.

Jobcentre Plus

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many Jobcentre Plus offices (a) are and (b) are not wheelchair accessible.

Esther McVey: The Department does not keep any specific record of Job Centre Plus sites which are or are not accessible by customers in wheelchairs. I can, however, confirm that as part of the formal planning and design of Jobcentre Plus offices, due consideration is given to the provisions of access for our customers with a wide range of disabilities, including those in wheelchairs. This involves both planning and building warrant approval, on the basis of compliance with both the Building Regulations and the Disability Discrimination Act, subsequently the Equalities Act. All our sites fully comply with legislation. Where full physical access to any of our buildings cannot be achieved by all our customers, the Department makes alternative arrangements to make our services available, such as offering a home visit.

Personal Independence Payment

Chris Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he plans to take to improve the personal independence payment (PIP) application system; and if he will compensate PIP claimants who have received unacceptable levels of service.

Michael Penning: The different stages that need to happen before we can make a decision on a claim for PIP can be viewed by accessing the PIP Claimant Journey, which is available at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pip-claim-process-overview-the-claimant-journey
	The length of time it takes to deal with a claim depends on how long each stage actually takes for individuals.
	As PIP is a new benefit we are looking closely at how long the claimant journey is taking against original estimates. We are working with operational colleagues and providers to ensure that all the steps in the process are as smooth as they can be. We continue to look at our processes to ensure that satisfactory arrangements are in place to assess a person's entitlement to PIP.
	Any delays experienced in the new claims process will not affect the date from which claimants are paid-all successful claims will be paid from the date the claim was initially made or the date the qualifying period is met, whichever is the later.
	As for the administration of all benefits, a claimant is free to complain about the service they have received from the Department for Work and Pensions. A complaint may result in a special payment if the claimant has experienced unfair treatment or suffered financially. More information on how claimants can complain about their claim to PIP is available on the Government website:
	https://www.gov.uk/complain-disability

Unemployment: Young People

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  for what reasons he does not plan to implement the EU's Youth Guarantee in the UK;
	(2)  what funding is available from the EU for implementing the Youth Guarantee in the UK;
	(3)  what his policy is on the EU's Youth Guarantee.

Esther McVey: The European Commission is encouraging member states to use the Youth Employment Initiative (YEI) to implement the Youth Guarantee, but this remains a non-binding EU recommendation. Although we support the aims of the Youth Guarantee and agree with much of the supporting guidance, we do not believe a four month guarantee is right for the UK, since over 80% of 18 to 24-year-olds flow off of jobseeker’s allowance within six months. We will instead be using the YEI money in England on other interventions designed to tackle youth unemployment and to complement the Government's substantial existing investment.

HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION

Pay

Frank Field: To ask the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, representing the House of Commons Commission, pursuant to his answer of 18 November 2013, Official Report, column 916W, on staff, when the London Living Wage will be paid to all agency staff.

John Thurso: The Chair of the Commission and the House Service take the London Living Wage (LLW) very seriously. All current House staff are paid at least the LLW and all agency staff supplied to the House are paid at least the LLW.
	Contractors with dedicated staff who are based on the estate are paying those staff at least the LLW, with a small number of exceptions which are being addressed. Good progress is being made towards ensuring that other contractors that provide services to the House are, in relation to our contracts, paying their staff at least the LLW (or the Living Wage if based outside London).

Travel Office

James Wharton: To ask the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, representing the House of Commons Commission, how much the House of Commons Travel Office has paid in carbon offsetting in each of the last five years.

John Thurso: The House of Commons Commission decided in 2006 that the House should make payments to offset carbon emissions from air travel paid by the House and booked using the Parliamentary Travel Office. The sums paid via the Government's offsets scheme in respect of travel in the past five years were:
	
		
			  £ 
			 2006-07 26,025 
			 2007-08 17,570 
			 2008-09 15,918 
			 2009-10 and 2010-11 23,682 
		
	
	The House is participating in a carbon offsets auction that is due to take place shortly for travel in recent years.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Additives: EU Action

Dai Havard: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what submissions his Department made to the European Chemical Agency's (ECA) consultation on the use of azodicarbonimide; and what further steps his Department plans to take in respect of the ECA's consultation.

Dan Rogerson: The UK REACH Competent Authority in the Health and Safety Executive responded to the European Chemicals Agency's (ECHA) public consultation on whether to recommend that azodicarbonamide (ADCA) should be prioritised for inclusion in Annex XIV of REACH (substances subject to authorisation). The UK proposed not to prioritise ADCA until we can be confident that authorisation is an appropriate and proportionate measure to take.
	The UK will continue to argue its position when ECHA's member state committee again considers the proposed recommendation in December. ECHA's prioritisation has no legal effect but is a recommendation to the European Commission, which in turn has to consider whether to bring forward a legislative proposal. Any proposal has to be voted by member states.

Bovine Tuberculosis

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how far the UK is from developing a safe oral vaccine for bovine tuberculosis in cattle.

George Eustice: Preliminary studies have been undertaken on an oral vaccine for bovine tuberculosis in cattle; but our priority is in delivering field trials for the injectable cattle vaccine and associated test to differentiate infected from vaccinated animals (DIVA). The successful outcome of these field trials we hope will lead to the granting of a licence for the vaccine and international validation of the DIVA and to their deployment as another tool to tackle this dreadful disease.

Bovine Tuberculosis

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what remuneration is available to farmers who train to become lay badger vaccinators for each badger they vaccinate.

George Eustice: Lay badger vaccinators are not paid for each badger they vaccinate.

Bovine Tuberculosis

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether farmers can access his Department's start-up grants funding for people who want to train as a lay badger vaccinator.

George Eustice: I refer my hon. Friend to the Government's recent response to the EFRA Select Committee on this very point:
	To date, there has been very limited interest in this training course from farmers. Farmers who want to vaccinate badgers and are members of a voluntary and community sector (VCS) organisation like a Wildlife Trust can apply to train as lay vaccinators and receive the current grant. They will, of course, benefit indirectly from the subsidy in cases where they are willing to allow VCS organisations to vaccinate badgers on their holding.
	Unless and until there is evidence of strong demand for training from farmers, the Government does not believe that providing a general subsidy to train farmers as lay vaccinators which would need be notified as an agricultural state aid would provide good value for money.

Bovine Tuberculosis: Lancashire

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether there are any (a) reported and (b) confirmed cases of bovine tuberculosis in the Lune Valley.

George Eustice: A cluster of bovine TB breakdowns has been identified on cattle farms in the Lune Valley of North Lancashire. The first case was detected at the end of last year near Kirkby Lonsdale. In line with DEFRA's new policy for the low TB risk areas of England, the Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency (AHVLA) instigated a programme of enhanced TB testing of all cattle herds situated within a 3 km radius of the index infected farm. The additional targeted TB testing has revealed a small number of additional infected herds in the area and the 3 km cattle testing zone has been widened as a result across North Lancashire and south Cumbria. At the end of July, a total of five “confirmed” TB breakdowns had been identified in this cluster, including the original case. Epidemiological investigations by AHVLA into the origin of these TB breakdowns are continuing.

Deer

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the number of muntjac deer in England and Wales in each of the last five years; and what steps he is taking to stop their spread and increase in numbers.

George Eustice: The Government monitors deer distributions and not numbers per se, and for that reason in the last five years there have been no estimates of the number of muntjac in England and Wales. What we do know is that muntjac continue to expand their range.
	Currently the Government's main focus is on reducing muntjac impacts on designated woodlands in England. The Deer Initiative and the Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency's National Wildlife Management Centre (recently transferred from the Food and Environment Research Agency) have done some modelling for Natural England on future trends. Beyond such woodlands, primary responsibility for wild deer management lies with individual landowners, and it is for them to decide whether to take action. The Government assists those affected by or wishing to manage deer by the provision of advice and guidance from Natural England and the Deer Initiative.

Dogs: Imports

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many puppies arrived in the UK in (a) 2011 and (b) 2012 under the Balai Directive 92/65/EEC.

George Eustice: This question could be answered only at disproportionate cost.

Flexible Working

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many officials in his Department make use of compressed hours arrangements as part of the Civil Service's flexible working hours scheme (a) above and (b) below director level.

Dan Rogerson: 53 people within core DEFRA are recorded as having a compressed or condensed working pattern; none of these are at Director level or above.
	Informal arrangements for working compressed hours through the Flexible Working Hours Scheme are not recorded centrally; it would be of disproportionate cost to provide this information.

Flood Control

Guy Opperman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many extra properties will be protected from flooding in (a) Northumberland, (b) the North East and (c) the UK as a result of the funding secured in the 2013 spending round.

Dan Rogerson: We have made a long-term commitment to record levels of capital investment in flood defences between 2015-16 and 2020-21. At least 300,000 households will benefit from this investment.
	At this stage I cannot say how many of these will be in Northumberland and the North East. A programme of new projects starting after April 2015 will be agreed with Regional Flood Defence Committees by autumn 2014.

Fly-grazing: North East

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the extent of fly grazing in the North East and the consequent effect on the environment and local residents.

George Eustice: DEFRA is aware of the issues relating to the problems of fly grazing, but no specific assessment has been made on the extent of the problem in the north-east. There is a range of existing legislation that can be used to deal with the issues, including the Animals Act 1971 and the Animal Welfare Act 2006. In addition, because fly grazing is a form of antisocial behaviour, existing anti-social behaviour legislation and forthcoming measures in the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Bill may be used to tackle it.

Food: Low Incomes

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 21 October 2013, Official Report, column 55W on food: low incomes, when he expects to publish the findings of its research project on the landscape of food aid provision and access in the UK.

George Eustice: DEFRA has commissioned research to review publicly available evidence on the landscape of food aid provision and access in the UK.
	All Government-funded research projects are required to go through the necessary review and quality assurance processes prior to publication. Once this process is complete, the conclusions of this work will be made available on the Government's website.

Marine Conservation Zones

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans his Department has for the introduction of reference areas which were included in its December 2012 consultation on marine conservation zones.

George Eustice: Reference areas were not included in the December 2012 consultation following advice from the Statutory Nature Conservation Bodies, which included a recommendation to review the approach to these areas. This review is expected to start in 2014.

Marine Conservation Zones

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether his Department plans to make recommendations for management measures at marine conservation zone sites.

George Eustice: Management measures for each of the 27 marine conservation zones (MCZs) will be drawn up and put in place by relevant public authorities. DEFRA and delivery partners are working together to ensure that the management measures that are to be put in place will provide effective protection for designated sites.
	Any management measures that are required for MCZs will be applied on a case-by-case basis. Management measures will be implemented at sites most at risk of damage first, regulating only those activities which have a detrimental impact on the features. In cases where there is a high risk to designated features being damaged, emergency measures may be put in place to ensure the protection of vulnerable habitats and species.

Marine Conservation Zones

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what protection his Department plans to afford to mobile species within the development of the network of marine conservation zone sites.

George Eustice: Sectoral measures (such as fisheries management, by-catch mitigation measures and protected species licensing) are likely to be the most effective tools in conserving widely dispersed and mobile species. However, Marine Conservation Zones (MCZs) for such species would be considered if there is clear evidence that the conservation of a highly mobile species would benefit from site-based protection measures in English waters. The need for MCZs for seabirds will be considered when work to develop Special Protection Areas for birds under the EU Wild Birds Directive has been completed. The mobile species Smelt and Black Bream are included within the first tranches of MCZ designations.

Overseas Territories Joint Ministerial Council

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what environmental issues his Department plans to discuss at the Joint Ministerial Council on the Overseas Territories; and if he will discuss an implementation plan for the Overseas Territories biodiversity strategy at that Council.

George Eustice: The Joint Ministerial Council will have a non-plenary session dedicated to environment issues. The purpose of the session is to provide an opportunity for Overseas Territory Government officials to have in-depth discussions with corresponding UK experts. Should there be any queries relating to the implementation of the Overseas Territories Biodiversity Strategy, DEFRA officials will be on hand to answer these.

Staff

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what proportion of employees in his Department are (a) female and (b) male, by each Civil Service pay grade;
	(2)  what proportion of employees in his Department is (a) white British and (b) black, Asian and from other minority ethnic groups, by each Civil Service pay grade;
	(3)  what proportion of employees in his Department have a physical or learning disability, by each Civil Service pay grade.

Dan Rogerson: The proportion of female and male employees in core DEFRA by each Civil Service Grade as of 31 March 2013 was:
	
		
			 Percentage 
			 Grade equivalent Female Male 
			 AA 45 55 
			 AO 62 38 
			 EO 60 40 
			 HEO 51 49 
			 SEO 47 53 
			 Grade 7 42 58 
			 Grade 6 36 64 
			 SCS 40 60 
			 All Grades 50 50 
		
	
	The data provided as follows only covers employees who have declared their status.
	The proportion of declared White, and Black, Asian and other minority ethnic employees (BAME) out of the total number of employees who declared their ethnicity in core DEFRA by Civil Service Grade as of 31 March 2013 was:
	
		
			 Percentage 
			 Grade equivalent White BAME 
			 AA 54 46 
			 AO 69 31 
			 EO 73 27 
			 HEO 84 16 
			 SEO 93 7 
			 Grade 7 94 6 
			 Grade 6 92 8 
			 SCS 99 1 
			 All Grades 84 16 
		
	
	We do not analyse data across ethnic and nationality lines together so are not able to show data white British as requested.
	The proportion of declared disabled employees out of the total number of employees who declared their status in core DEFRA by Civil Service Grade as of 31 March 2013 was:
	
		
			 Grade equivalent Disabled (percentage) 
			 AA 27 
			 AO 15 
			 EO 15 
			 HEO 13 
			 SEO 7 
			 Grade 7 8 
			 Grade 6 12 
			 SCS 9 
			 All Grades 12

BUSINESS, INNOVATION AND SKILLS

Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Act 2013

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 21 October 2013, Official Report, column 964W, on Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Act 2013, if he will publish the report on his Department's review of Acas's scenario planning work for the implementation of early conciliation.

Jo Swinson: The internal audit referred to in my answer of 21 October 2013, Official Report, column 964W, is a report prepared for Acas internal management processes. To make such a document public might prejudice any future audit process because staff being audited may be inclined to be less open about issues with auditors. It will not therefore be published.
	Acas are happy to convene a meeting to discuss their plans for implementing Early Conciliation with the hon. Member if this would be helpful.

Flexible Working

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many officials in his Department make use of compressed hours arrangements as part of the Civil Service's flexible working hours scheme (a) above and (b) below director level.

Jo Swinson: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) does not hold this information centrally. To collect this information from within the Department, and to analyse it, would incur a disproportionate cost.
	We offer a number of different types of working patterns under our flexible working policies, including compressed hours, annualised hours, home working, term-time working, part-time working, job sharing, and flexitime.
	Decisions on the availability of compressed hours are taken within each business unit as the managers on the ground are best placed to judge the demands of the workload and the contribution of the individual. It is the workload and business demands that determine what working patterns can be accommodated.

Older People: Crime Prevention

Paul Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will implement the recommendations of Age Cymru's Scams and Swindles campaign.

Jo Swinson: The Government is aware of the seriousness of the issues raised by the Age Cymru campaign. As was discussed during the recent Westminster Hall debate, we have put a number of measures in place to address the criminal behaviour behind these postal internet and doorstep scams. This included a round table meeting on 25 November, chaired by my noble Friend Baroness Randerson, which brought together organisations from across Wales, including enforcement and consumer protection agencies, Royal Mail, BT and Ofcom, to discuss how we can work together to reduce older people's exposure to such scams.
	More broadly, the National Trading Standards Board has set up the National Scams Hub (NSH) which is hosted by East Sussex Trading Standards Service. The NSH are working with partners including Action Fraud, the Royal Mail and the Metropolitan police to identify and to support the victims of mass marketing fraud. Once identified, the NSH works with the victim's local Trading Standards service, local police forces and other agencies to provide support which addressed the victim's behaviour. The home authority reports to the NSH at four and 26 weeks on the result of the intervention.
	Alongside this, the Consumer Protection Partnership, which brings together the government-funded consumer organisations, has identified mass marketing scams as an area where there is significant consumer detriment and, therefore, an issue for priority action. As part of that, the Citizens Advice Service and the Trading Standards Institute launched a scam awareness campaign in May this year, which I endorsed, to raise awareness and to help empower consumers to take firm action against scams.
	The Government also provides for advice on scams through various agencies—particularly through the Citizens Advice Service, which provides clear and practical guidance to consumers through its Consumer Advice Helpline which can be contacted on 08454 040506 (08454 040505 for Welsh speakers) or via their website:
	www.adviceguide.org.uk

Overseas Trade: Females

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what (a) guidance his Department issues and (b) targets his Department has set UK Trade and Investment on promoting women in trade delegations and exporting.

Michael Fallon: UK Trade and Investment has not been set specific targets relating to the issue of promoting women in trade delegations and exporting more widely.

Privatisation

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment his Department has made of the value for money of the recent sales of (a) the Royal Mail and (b) mortgage-style student loans.

Michael Fallon: The Royal Mail share sale objectives included a requirement for the sale to represent overall value for money for the tax payer. This objective was taken into consideration in all decisions relating to the Initial Public Offering in October. The National Audit Office has announced that it will be conducting a value for money examination of the privatisation of Royal Mail Plc to be published in spring 2014.
	The successful bid for the mortgage style student loans from Erudio Student Loans was judged to represent the best available value for money option following a competitive process involving around 40 interested parties and 10 serious bids. The price paid is also in excess of the estimated value of the loans to the Government had it retained them.

Respiratory System: Diseases

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent discussions he has had with Novartis to encourage them to maintain respiratory research in the UK.

David Willetts: Ministers and officials in the Government have regular contact with Novartis and other pharmaceutical investors and discussions cover a range of policy issues.
	I met with senior representatives from Novartis on 30 October to discuss the potential changes to their research operations in the UK, which are currently under consultation. Novartis have noted that the proposed changes are a result of a global review of their research activities.
	The Department remains in close contact with Novartis regarding the impact of these proposed changes.

Shipbuilding: Industry

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what UK firms have won shipbuilding contracts as a result of trade missions since January 2011.

Michael Fallon: UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) does not have the details of all the contracts won as a result of trade missions since January 2011; our records show that in this period UK firms supported by UKTI have won orders in excess of £230 million for marine equipment and systems.

Students: Loans

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  how many outstanding mortgage-style student loans were held by the Student Loans Company in each month since January 1999;
	(2)  what the (a) number and (b) value was of mortgage-style student loans held by the Student Loans Company in each month since January 1999 that were (i) repaid in full, (ii) being repaid in accordance with their terms, (iii) below the repayment threshold, (iv) not being repaid in accordance with their terms and (v) were written off.

David Willetts: The Student Loans Company (SLC) publishes statistics on Student Loans and Repayments. Information on the monthly status of these loans since 1999 is not readily available and cannot be compiled, except at disproportionate cost.
	Statistics on student loan outlay and repayments relating to mortgage style loans are published by the SLC each year in Table 1 (Repayments, Deferrals and Arrears) and Table 2 (number of Borrowers) of the Statistical First Release "Student Loans for Higher Education in England". The figures are published on the SLC website:
	http://www.slc.co.uk/statistics/national-statistics.aspx

Supermarkets: Sales Promotions

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent assessment he has made of adherence to the Government's Pricing Practices Guide by supermarkets.

Jo Swinson: The Pricing Practices Guide provides guidance for business on compliance with the consumer protection from unfair trading regulations 2008 which outlaw, among other things, price indications which are likely to mislead the average consumer.
	Adherence to guidance and to the provisions of the regulations is the responsibility of the supermarkets and monitored by the enforcement authorities; local authority Trading Standards officers and the Office of Fair Trading (OFT). The OFT and the Trading Standards Service monitor practices by supermarkets, including compliance with the Pricing Practices Guide and the OFT's specific Principles on Food Pricing Display and Promotional Practices agreed with eight supermarkets last year. The Principles were a result of the OFT's assessment of practices in the sector. Where Trading Standards officers conclude that a business is not complying with the regulations, they have a range of enforcement options which they can bring to bear.

Tax Havens: Africa

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what discussions he has had with financial institutions on advice offered to investors in Africa on the use of tax havens.

Michael Fallon: No such discussions have taken place.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Fire Services

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 18 November 2013, Official Report, column 649W, on fire services, how many (a) full-time and (b) retained firefighters there were in each of the last 10 years.

Brandon Lewis: The following figures refer to England only, any further figure's would be a matter for the relevant devolved Administration.
	The numbers of whole time and retained duty system firefighters in England since 2002 are shown in the table. Also included are the incident attended in these periods. Over this period overall firefighter strength has reduced by 5.9% while the number of incidents have almost halved (-46%).
	
		
			 Number of firefighters (strength) and incidents attended England, 2002-13 
			 As at 31 March Total number of whole time and retained firefighters Whole time Retained duty system Incident attended (2001-02 to 2012-13) 
			 2002 42,374 31,761 10,613 990,793 
			 2003 42,415 31,699 10,716 958,142 
			 2004 42,679 31,826 10,853 1,016,028 
			 2005 42,151 31,097 11,054 861,384 
			 2006 41,917 30,596 11,321 843,734 
			 2007 42,404 30,558 11,846 854,371 
			 2008 42,353 30,580 11,773 791,747 
			 2009 41,955 30,088 11,867 717,805 
			 2010 41,634 29,735 11,899 680,592 
			 2011 41,171 29,018 12,066 647,244 
			 2012 39,869 28,166 11,558 606,704 
			 2013 - - - 519,907 
			 Note: Figures may not total due to rounding and are for full-time equivalent. Source: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/fire-and-rescue-authorities-operational-statistics

Local Plans

Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the resources available to the Planning Inspectorate for the consideration of local development plans.

Nicholas Boles: The Planning Inspectorate has an ongoing process of reviewing the level of resources it requires to examine local plans, and as part of this it monitors the expected date for the submission of plans for examination. It carries out these ongoing assessments with a view to closely matching the number of trained inspectors and other staff to anticipated workload. Current information suggests an ongoing requirement of about 25 full-time equivalent inspectors. The Planning Inspectorate is currently recruiting additional inspectors on fixed term contracts to ensure it can satisfy forecast demand, and help local councils finalise their up-to-date local plans to shape where development should and should not go.

Local Plans

Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many planning inspectors are engaged in the consideration of local development plans.

Nicholas Boles: Inspectors appointed by the Planning Inspectorate are currently examining 80 local plans. These plans include core strategies, comprehensive local plans, area action plans, minerals plans and other more focused development plan documents. A total of 44 inspectors (some of whom are part-time) are working on these examinations, 23 are conducting more than one examination concurrently. For example, some inspectors are examining more than one plan within a particular local authority or are dealing with plans in different local authority areas.

Local Plans

Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many local development plans are currently under consideration by the Planning Inspectorate.

Nicholas Boles: There are currently 80 local development plans under examination by the Planning Inspectorate.

Non-domestic Rates: Appeals

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the average length of time taken for business rate appeals to be listed for a hearing by the Valuation Tribunal was; and how many such cases are outstanding.

Brandon Lewis: holding answer 12 November 2013
	As was the case under the last Administration, business rates appeals are listed in accordance with the Valuation Office Agency's programming protocols for dealing with appeals. The Valuation Tribunal Service lists for hearing those business rate appeals that have not been settled by the target date set by the Valuation Office Agency; this is the point when the negotiation period between the ratepayer and the Valuation Office Agency should end.
	The Valuation Tribunal does not hold information allowing it to identify the amount of rateable value of the claims in outstanding appeals.
	To assist public scrutiny, I have placed in the Library of the House a table for the number of rating list appeals in each year since 2001. It shows how the numbers of appeals rise and fall according to the revaluation cycle. Appeals can be made years after a revaluation has occurred. Businesses can submit appeals against the 2010 rating list up to 31 March 2017, and appeals continue to be submitted.
	I would observe that:
	These are appeals against a revaluation that was carried out under the Labour Government. As of 13 November 2013, we have carried forward 140,100 appeals which have reached the Valuation Tribunal. To place this in context, 10 years ago in 2003 (i.e. at a similar stage in the revaluation cycle), the Labour Government was carrying forward 412,600 appeals. There were 1,735,000 hereditaments in total on the 2010 Rating List. The business rates system allows multiple appeals to be made against the same property over several years. The numbers are likely to include a proportion of appeals that relate to multiple entries on the same property.
	The postponement of the 2015 rates revaluation has allowed the Valuation Office Agency to allocate more resources to clearing appeals. The Agency cleared 24% more appeals than in the previous year (224,000 in England in 2012-13, up from 181,000 in 2011-12). The number of outstanding rating appeals has fallen in six successive quarters.
	Of course, many appeals are resolved by the Valuation Office Agency. I would note that over 565,000 appeals in England have been resolved by the Valuation Office Agency and/or the Valuation Tribunal Service since 1 April 2010. The number of outstanding appeals is falling all the time and has dropped by 37% over the last 12 months.
	Three quarters of all appeals to the 2010 list which have been decided to date have resulted in no change to the rateable value.
	For those appeals against the 2010 list with a Valuation Office Agency target date in the first quarter of 2013-14, I note that 87% of programmed appeals were first listed to a hearing date which fell within 24 weeks of the target date; 9.3% of programmed appeals were first listed to a hearing date which fell between 24 to 36 weeks of the target date; 2.3% of programmed appeals were first listed to a hearing date which fell between 36 to 48 weeks of the target date; 1.5% of programmed appeals were awaiting a hearing date. The Valuation Office Agency prioritises hardship cases, seeking a swift resolution or working with the Valuation Tribunal to facilitate an early listing.
	Notwithstanding the extra resources being allocated to tackle the backlog thanks to the postponement of the 2015 revaluation, this Government wants to improve transparency in the valuation system, including improving the system for challenging rateable values. We are currently considering how best to do this, and will consult as appropriate.

Non-domestic Rates: Appeals

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many business rate appeals are currently awaiting a decision from the Valuation Tribunal; and what estimate he has made of the combined rateable value of those claims.

Brandon Lewis: holding answer 18 November 2013
	As was the case under the last administration, business rates appeals are listed in accordance with the Valuation Office Agency's programming protocols for dealing with appeals. The Valuation Tribunal Service lists for hearing those business rate appeals that have not been settled by the target date set by the Valuation Office Agency; this is the point when the negotiation period between the ratepayer and the Valuation Office Agency should end.
	The Valuation Tribunal does not hold information allowing it to identify the amount of rateable value of the claims in outstanding appeals.
	To assist public scrutiny, I have placed in the Library of the House a table for the number of rating list appeals in each year since 2001. It shows how the numbers of appeals rise and fall according to the revaluation cycle. Appeals can be made years after a revaluation has occurred. Businesses can submit appeals against the 2010 rating list up to 31 March 2017, and appeals continue to be submitted.
	I would observe that:
	These are appeals against a revaluation that was carried out under the Labour Government. As of 13 November 2013, we have carried forward 140,100 appeals which have reached the Valuation Tribunal. To place this in context, 10 years ago in 2003 (i.e. at a similar stage in the revaluation cycle), the Labour Government was carrying forward 412,600 appeals. There were 1,735,000 hereditaments in total on the 2010 Rating List. The business rates system allows multiple appeals to be made against the same property over several years. The numbers are likely to include a proportion of appeals that relate to multiple entries on the same property.
	The postponement of the 2015 rates revaluation has allowed the Valuation Office Agency to allocate more resources to clearing appeals. The agency cleared 24% more appeals than in the previous year (224,000 in England in 2012-13, up from 181,000 in 2011-12). The number of outstanding rating appeals has fallen in six successive quarters.
	Of course, many appeals are resolved by the Valuation Office Agency. I would note that over 565,000 appeals in England have been resolved by the Valuation Office Agency and/or the Valuation Tribunal Service since 1 April 2010. The number of outstanding appeals is falling all the time and has dropped by 37% over the last 12 months.
	Three quarters of all appeals to the 2010 list which have been decided to date have resulted in no change to the rateable value.
	For those appeals against the 2010 list with a Valuation Office Agency target date in the first quarter of 2013-14, I note that 87% of programmed appeals were first listed to a hearing date which fell within 24 weeks of the target date; 9.3% of programmed appeals were first listed to a hearing date which fell between 24 and 36 weeks of the target date; 2.3% of programmed appeals were first listed to a hearing date which fell between 36 and 48 weeks of the target date; 1.5% of programmed appeals were awaiting a hearing date. The Valuation Office Agency prioritises hardship cases, seeking a swift resolution or working with the Valuation Tribunal to facilitate an early listing.
	Notwithstanding the extra resources being allocated to tackle the backlog thanks to the postponement of the 2015 revaluation, this Government wants to improve transparency in the valuation system, including improving the system for challenging rateable values. We are currently considering how best to do this, and will consult as appropriate.

Non-domestic Rates: Parking

Caroline Dinenage: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will bring forward proposals to ensure that small retailers and large superstores are subject to the same business rate regime in relation to any parking spaces by their shops.

Brandon Lewis: Business rates are a tax on the rental value of non-domestic property. Any factor contributing to the rental value of non-domestic property is included in the assessment of the rateable value. This includes the availability of car parking either within the property or in the immediate locality. In this context, supermarkets with car parking spaces are likely to have a higher rateable value than ones without—and therefore will pay higher business rates.

Rented Housing

John Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what proportion of households were living in (a) social housing and (b) private rented housing in each region of England in the most recent year for which data is available.

Kris Hopkins: As outlined in the written ministerial statement of 18 September 2012, Official Report, columns 31-33WS, my Department no longer publishes statistics by Government office region.

Social Rented Housing

George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many (a) evictions and (b) eviction proceedings have taken place in England and Wales in (i) April, (ii) May, (iii) June, (iv) July, (v) August and (vi) September 2013 since the introduction of the spare room subsidy.

Kris Hopkins: The latest mortgage and landlord possession statistics can be found at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/257007/mortgage-landlord-possession-bulletin-q3-2013.pdf
	I observe the latest bulletin states:
	“An analysis was carried out looking at the effects of the benefit cap on eviction claims. It compared the number of eviction claims in the four local authorities where the benefit cap was initially rolled out to the number of claims in the rest of the country... The analysis showed that the number of claims fell in three out of four of those authorities, in accordance with the national pattern, showing that the benefit cap had no visible effect on eviction claims in that quarter” (Ministry of Justice, Mortgage and landlord possession statistics quarterly, July to September 2013, November 2013).
	The bulletin notes there is a slight trend in recent years for the number of actions to change in line with the number of people living in rented accommodation.
	That said, figures for the number of landlord possession claims leading to orders so far in 2013 are not substantially different from 2012.

Social Rented Housing

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the number of families moving into properties vacated as a result of the abolition of the under-occupancy penalty since April 2013; and if he will make a statement.

Kris Hopkins: The Department does not hold this information.

Written Questions: Government Responses

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when he plans to answer parliamentary questions 175145 and 175146, tabled by the hon. Member for Leeds Central on 7 November 2013.

Brandon Lewis: Parliamentary question 175146 has been answered today. Question 175145 will be answered shortly; we have been liaising with the Valuation Office Agency to obtain previously unpublished data.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Electoral Register: Northern Ireland

William McCrea: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister when he last met the relevant Northern Ireland Executive Minister to discuss individual electoral registration within Northern Ireland.

Nicholas Clegg: I have had no such meetings with Northern Ireland Executive Ministers.

Ministerial Policy Advisers

Clive Betts: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister 
	(1)  how many officials in his Department, and at what grades, are employed to provide direct support to his special advisers;
	(2)  how many special advisers, and at what grades, are employed to provide support to him.

Nicholas Clegg: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by the Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General, the right hon. Member for Horsham (Mr Maude), today.

Public Expenditure

William McCrea: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what change there has been in the overall cost of his Office since he took office.

Nicholas Clegg: The Deputy Prime Minister's Office is an integral part of the Cabinet Office. Costs are published each year in the Cabinet Office's Annual Report and Accounts which are available at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/cabinet-office-annual-reports-and-accounts

HOME DEPARTMENT

EU Justice and Home Affairs

Jacob Rees-Mogg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many joint investigative teams including the UK have been set up owing to Article 5 of the EU-USA mutual legal assistance agreement in each of the last five years; what the aims, activities, participants and achievements of each of these teams were; whether the UK would seek to engage with such teams if the UK ceases to be bound by that agreement pursuant to Article 10 of the Protocol on Transitional Provisions annexed to the EU treaties; what legislative and operational measures would need to be established by the UK to facilitate such engagement; and what assessment she has made of the feasibility of such engagement;
	(2)  what the cost to the public purse has been of UK participation in the EU-USA mutual legal assistance agreement in each of the last five years;
	(3)  what changes to the UK-US mutual legal assistance agreement have been required by the EU-US mutual legal assistance agreement; and in how many cases each of these changes has had a significant effect on mutual legal assistance between the UK and US in each of the last five years;
	(4)  whether the Government intends to retain unchanged existing provisions of the UK-US mutual legal assistance agreement required by the EU-US mutual legal assistance agreement if the UK ceases to be bound by that latter agreement pursuant to Article 10 of the Protocol on Transitional Provisions annexed to the EU treaties; and what her assessment is of whether the US will agree to such retention or will agree to necessary changes.

James Brokenshire: Article 5 of the EU-US mutual legal assistance (MLA) agreement has been transposed into the UK-US MLA treaty as article 16 ter. No joint investigation teams involving the UK have been set up owing to article 5 of the EU-USA mutual legal assistance agreement or article 16 ter of the UK-US MLA treaty. Article 16 ter will remain in force when the UK ceases to the bound by the EU-US MLA agreement, unless the UK and US agree otherwise.
	Information on the cost of UK participation in the EU-US mutual legal assistance agreement is not held centrally.
	Amendments to the UK-US MLA treaty as required by the EU-US MLA agreement are provided in the Instrument and Exchange of Notes dated 16 December 2004, available online at:
	http://www.official-documents.gov.uk/document/cm76/7613/7613.pdf
	These amendments were intended to supplement, not replace, bilateral arrangements.
	The amended bilateral treaty came into force on 1 February 2010. No records are held on the number of cases in which these amendments had a significant effect. The bilateral UK-US MLA treaty (as amended by the Instrument) will continue to be in force unless, or until, the UK and US agree to amend the bilateral treaty.
	As the Home Secretary said to Parliament on 9 July 2013, as a point of principle, the UK's international relations in policing and criminal justice are first and foremost a matter for Her Majesty's Government. As the UK has opted out of this measure, it is important to note that on 1 December 2014, the UK will be able to agree the terms of our MLA arrangements bilaterally with the US. In the meantime, the Government will retain unchanged existing UK law and practice and will maintain co-operation with the USA with a UK liaison prosecutor and a US legal attaché in Washington and London, respectively.

European Public Prosecutor's Office

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps her Department is taking to ensure that the personal details of UK citizens, whether they be suspects, victims or witnesses, are not handed by Eurojust to the office of the European Public Prosecutor.

James Brokenshire: The coalition agreement is clear that the UK will not participate in any European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO). The UK has also not opted in to the European Commission's parallel proposal to reform Eurojust. One of the Government's considerations in taking that decision was to ensure that we have clarity about the relationship between Eurojust and the EPPO, including any exchange of personal data between the organisations. The Government has undertaken to review its decision on participation in a reformed Eurojust, in consultation with Parliament, at the point the new regulation is adopted. The future direction of the EPPO is currently unclear pending a decision by the Commission on whether to maintain, amend or withdraw the proposal following the yellow card issued by national Parliaments challenging the proposal on the grounds of subsidiarity.

Flexible Working

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many officials in her Department make use of compressed hours arrangements as part of the civil service's flexible working hours scheme (a) above and (b) below director level.

James Brokenshire: The number of officials in the Home Department making use of compressed hours arrangements as part of the civil service's flexible working hours scheme as at 31 October 2013 is (a) fewer than five at director level and (b) 1,044 below director level. All such arrangements are subject to business and operational need.

Human Trafficking

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many meetings of the Inter-Departmental Ministerial Group on Human Trafficking there have been since it was set up;
	(2)  what assessment she has made of the working of the Inter-Departmental Ministerial Group on Human Trafficking.

James Brokenshire: Since the Inter-Departmental Ministerial Group (IDMG) was refocused in May 2010, the group has met eight times:
	17 October 2013 (ad-hoc meeting chaired by the Prime Minister)
	9 September 2013
	17 June 2013
	11 March 2013
	17 September 2012
	17 April 2012
	11 October 2011
	17 February 2011.
	The IDMG published its second report on 18 October. The report updated on the actions from the initial IDMG report published in October 2012 which highlighted three areas where the UK recognised the need to strengthen its approach: data collection, raising awareness with front-line professionals and co-ordination of prevention activities. A Joint Strategic Group (JSG) was setup and tasked to consider these areas in more detail. The JSG set up six multi-agency sub-groups to consider the issues, identify the problems and gaps and generate recommendations. The Chair of the JSG is now a member of the IDMG establishing a clear and effective line of communication between the Government and civil society organisations.
	Progress has been made in all three areas and the report can be read in full here:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/251487/9794-TSO-HMG_Human_Trafficking.pdf
	The Government keeps the effectiveness of the IDMG under review.

Identity and Passport Service

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the cost of rebranding the Identity and Passport Service to Her Majesty's Passport Office will be.

Mark Harper: holding answer 21 May 2013
	Her Majesty's Passport Office undertook rebranding in line with all Government Departments and Agencies following the new HM Government Corporate Identity requirements, which are designed to provide a cohesive, cost-effective and consistent approach to Government branding.
	In line with the rebranding Her Majesty's Passport Office took the opportunity to change its name from "Identity and Passport Office". The cost of this was £78,600.

Kings Science Academy

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer from the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Education of 22 November 2013, Official Report, columns 1089-90W, on Kings Science Academy, if she will publish all telephone conversations between Action Fraud and the Department for Education in relation to the investigation into Kings Science Academy, Bradford.

James Brokenshire: When Action Fraud takes a report, the victim or the person reporting is asked to provide as much information as possible concerning the alleged suspect, the victim, how the incident took place, details of any other organisations that the fraud may have been reported to and any transaction or bank account information that is known to the reporter. Thus the contents of reports and phone calls are confidential, however the person who made the report can be provided with a copy of the report which Action Fraud submitted to the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau on request.

Kings Science Academy

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on what date and by what means Action Fraud first informed her Department that the police were taking no further action in relation to Kings Science Academy in Bradford.

James Brokenshire: It would be for the police to decide whether to take further action. Such decisions are not routinely reported to Ministers.

Kings Science Academy

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions Action Fraud had with the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau on the case of the Kings Science Academy, Bradford prior to informing her Department that no police action would be taken.

James Brokenshire: On 1 November a discussion took place between the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau (NFIB) and the National Fraud Authority (NFA) when the report was identified to establish what had occurred. The NFA subsequently listened to the recording of the call alongside the report and confirmed to the NFIB that an administrative error had led to the report being classified as an Information report and not a crime report. Decisions on how to proceed with individual cases are operational matters for the police.

Offenders: Deportation

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to her answer of 29 October 2013, Official Report, column 422W, on offenders: deportation, what the nationalities were of the offenders who either received or were considered for a conditional caution to facilitate their removal from the UK.

Mark Harper: Since my answer on 29 October 2013, Official Report, column 422W, additional conditional cautions with foreign national offender conditions have been administered. The current figures are as follows:
	
		
			  Number 
			 Total conditional cautions issued 20 
			 Of which, successful removals from the UK 13 
			 In progress 4 
			 Discontinued (1)3 
			 (1) Of which one was removed from the UK without a conditional caution. Note: All figures quoted have been derived from management information and are therefore provisional and subject to change. This information has not been quality assured under National Statistics protocols. 
		
	
	It is not possible to provide the nationalities of those considered for conditional cautions but not issued with them because they are not currently recorded. The nationalities of the offenders who have been issued with a conditional caution are as follows: Albania, Bangladesh, Brazil, Cameroon, Georgia, India, Iran, Libya, Mauritius, Nepal, Pakistan and Trinidad and Tobago.

Organised Crime

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent assessment his Department has made of the annual cost to the economy of organised (a) crime and (b) food crime.

James Brokenshire: holding answer 27 November 2013
	On 7 October 2013 the Government published the Serious and Organised Crime Strategy, which sets out a new national response to serious and organised crime, and estimates that the social and economic costs of organised crime in this country are at least £24 billion a year. This assessment is drawn from the Home Office study "Understanding Organised Crime: Estimating the scale and the social and economic costs" (also published 7 October 2013).
	The Food Standards Agency (FSA) and Department for Food, Environment and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) are working together in order to explore different ways of detecting food fraud and, where possible, to assess costs. FSA and DEFRA are working on improved intelligence flows and information sharing to help anticipate food fraud.

Passports

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many passports are returned to HM Passport Office each year owing to errors in content.

Mark Harper: Her Majesty's Passport Office does not collect this information centrally and to provide this information would be at disproportionate cost.

Secondment

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 19 November 2013, Official Report, column 862W, on secondment, what her estimate was of the cost of collecting data on the number of private sector secondees to her Department.

James Brokenshire: Pursuant to the answer of 19 November 2013, Official Report, column 862W, the estimated cost of collecting data on the number of private sector employees currently seconded to the Home Office would be in excess of £1,800. This exceeds the cost threshold for answering parliamentary questions of £850.

UK Border Agency

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many allegations were made and recorded by the UK Border Agency's allegations database for each month in 2013.

Mark Harper: The Intelligence Management System (IMS) intake statistics for 2013 are set out in the following table. It should be noted that intake covers all types of incoming information and not solely allegations made by the public.
	
		
			  Number 
			 January 5,920 
			 February 6,564 
			 March 6,003 
			 April 6,301 
			 May 6,219 
			 June 6,316 
			 July 6,822 
			 August 6,494 
			 September 6,036 
			 October 6,532 
			 Total 63,207 
		
	
	All figures quoted are management information which has been subject to internal quality checks. This information has not been quality assured under National Statistics protocols.

CABINET OFFICE

Drugs: Death

John Woodcock: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many deaths have been recorded where substance abuse was a contributing factor in (a) England, (b) North West England and (c) Cumbria in each of the last five years.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Glen Watson, dated November 2013
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent question to the Minister for the Cabinet Office asking how many deaths have been recorded where substance abuse was a contributing factor in (a) England, (b) North West England and (c) Cumbria in each of the last five years. (177693)
	The tables provide the number of deaths where the underlying cause was related to drug misuse for (a) England, (b) the North West region and (c) the county of Cumbria, for deaths registered from 2008 to 2012 (the latest year available).
	The numbers of drug-related deaths registered in England and Wales from 1993 to 2012 are available on the ONS website:
	www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/subnational-health3/deaths-related-to-drug-poisoning/index.html
	
		
			 Table 1. Number of deaths related to drug misuse, England, the North West and Cumbria, deaths registered from 2008-12(1, 2, 3) 
			 Deaths (persons) 
			  2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 
			 England 1,802 1,729 1,625 1,461 1,356 
			 North West 344 323 278 309 285 
			 Cumbria 17 15 19 15 17 
			 (1 )Cause of death was defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10). Deaths were included where the underlying cause was due to drug poisoning and where a drug controlled under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 was mentioned on the death certificate. More details on the definition of a death related to drug misuse can be found in the background notes of the 'Deaths related to drug poisoning in England and Wales' statistical bulletin www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/subnational-health3/deaths-related-to-drug-poisoning/index.html (2) Figures are based on boundaries as at August 2013 and exclude deaths of non-residents. (3) Figures are based on deaths registered, rather than deaths occurring, between 2008 and 2012. Due to the length of time it takes to hold an inquest, it can take months for a drug-related death to be registered. Additional information on registration delays for drug-related deaths can be found in the annual statistical bulletin: www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/subnational-health3/deaths-related-to-drug-poisoning/index.html 
		
	
	
		
			 Box 1. International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes used to define deaths related to drug poisoning 
			 Description ICD 10 codes 
			 Mental and behavioural disorders due to drug use (excluding alcohol and tobacco) F11-F16, F18-F19 
			 Accidental poisoning by drugs, medicaments and biological substances X40-X44 
			 Intentional self-poisoning by drugs, medicaments and biological substances X60-X64 
			 Assault by drugs, medicaments and biological substances X85 
			 Poisoning by drugs, medicaments and biological substances, undetermined intent Y10-Y14

Electronic Government: Misrepresentation

Greg Knight: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what steps he is taking to discourage members of the public from using websites that charge for services that are currently provided free by the Government.

Nick Hurd: The Government Digital Service is working with Departments to get a clearer view of the scale of this problem. In cases where there is belief that a website operator is acting in a clearly misleading way, Government will act to curtail their activities via organisations such as the Advertising Standards Agency, Office of Fair Trading, Information Commissioner's Office and search providers.
	In the year since the launch of Gov.uk in October 2012 it had received 429 million visits. It was recently ranked as the 46(th) most visited website in the UK.

Ministerial Policy Advisers

Clive Betts: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the total cost of (a) special advisers to the Deputy Prime Minister and (b) officials providing support to those special advisers was in the last year for which data is available; and how much of that cost was (i) salaries, (ii) on-costs, (iii) accommodation costs, (iv) office costs and (v) other costs.

Francis Maude: Information on special adviser numbers and pay bands can be found at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/special-adviser-data-releases-numbers-and-costs-october-2013
	My departmental organogram is available at:
	http://data.gov.uk/organogram/cabinet-office
	Further information about the costs of the Deputy Prime Minister's Office are available at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/cabinet-office-annual-reports-and-accounts

Ministers’ Private Offices

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office 
	(1)  whether he (a) has appointed or (b) intends to appoint an enlarged ministerial office;
	(2)  what ministerial guidance is being prepared on enlarged ministerial offices (EMOs); what external academic bodies or think tanks have submitted drafts of such guidance or related draft guidance to his Department; and when any such guidance on EMOs will be published.

Francis Maude: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave on 25 November 2013, Official Report, column 115W, to the hon. Member for South Antrim (Dr McCrea).
	This guidance develops the policy on Extended Ministerial Offices outlined in the Government's 'One Year On' report on Civil Service Reform in June of this year. The EMO policy reflects the conclusions of the recent Institute of Public Policy Research (IRRP) Report ‘Accountability and responsiveness in the senior civil service'. That report found that UK Ministers are under supported in comparison with other countries, even those with Westminster-derived systems such as Australia and Canada. The Institute for Government has also argued for more powerful ministerial offices.
	The Government will provide an update on the introduction of Extended Ministerial Offices in its next report on progress against the Civil Service Reform Plan.

EDUCATION

Children: Mental Health

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the use of mindfulness in schools to reduce stress and absenteeism;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the use of mindfulness in schools to improve attention spans of children;
	(3)  what assessment he has made of the use of mindfulness in schools in developing lifelong healthy mental health habits;
	(4)  what assessment he has made of the use of mindfulness in schools in (a) improving behaviour and (b) increasing educational attainment.

Elizabeth Truss: The Department for Education has not conducted any assessment of the use of mindfulness in schools. Individual head teachers can decide whether they wish to adopt approaches relating to mindfulness.

Educational Exchanges

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for International Development on potential benefits of schools in the UK being paired with schools in developing countries.

Elizabeth Truss: Both the Department for Education and the Department for International Development recognise the benefits of schools linking to stimulate meaningful collaboration across cultures. The British Council and the Department for International Development jointly fund the Connecting Classrooms global education programme which offers British schools partnerships with their international counterparts, including schools in developing countries. The Department for Education is represented on its Supervisory Board.
	In addition, the Department for Education has an input to the Department for International Development's Global Learning Programme (GLP), launched on 20 November by the Secretary of State for International Development, my right hon. Friend the Member for Putney (Justine Greening), and has a representative on the Programme's Advisory Board. The GLP focuses on developing pupils' knowledge and understanding of global challenges such as poverty, inequality and sustainability.

Educational Exchanges

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what estimate he has made of the number of school pupils in the UK who took part in a foreign exchange programme in each of the last five years.

Elizabeth Truss: The Secretary of State for the Department for Education has made no such estimate. The Department for Education does not collect data on numbers of pupils taking part in foreign exchange programmes. It is up to individual schools to decide whether to participate in exchanges.

Free Schools

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education when he plans to comply with the Information Commissioner's decision notice of 18 November 2013 in relation to completed free school applications.

Michael Gove: We will respond to the Information Commissioner's Office decision notice within the statutory time scales set out in the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

Kings Science Academy

David Ward: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the answer of 22 November 2013, Official Report, column 1090W, on Kings Science Academy, by what method his Department supplied the evidence of possible fraud to Action Fraud.

Michael Gove: Officials at the Department for Education reported the case to Action Fraud's national call centre on 25 April by telephone. All the information requested by Action Fraud was provided.

Kings Science Academy

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  with reference to the investigation into Kings Science Academy, Bradford, on what dates (a) his Department requested an update from Action Fraud on what steps had been taken following the Department's referral of the matter to Action Fraud in April 2013 and (b) he or Ministers of his Department were informed that no further action was being taken by police;
	(2)  what disciplinary sanctions he has considered using in relation to the leadership of the Kings Science Academy in response to the findings of his Department's investigation into the Academy's finances;
	(3)  whether he or Ministers in his Department authorised the decision to report the findings of the report into Kings Science Academy by telephone call rather than in writing to Action Fraud.

Michael Gove: Officials at the Department for Education reported the case to Action Fraud's national call centre on 25 April. An additional telephone call was made to West Yorkshire Police's Economic Crime Unit, who confirmed that this was the correct way to report fraud and that no further action was required.
	Following the Department's referral to Action Fraud on 25 April, an update was requested on 5 September. Action Fraud subsequently notified the Department on 1 November that the information provided had been wrongly classified as an information report rather than a crime report. This error has been rectified by Action Fraud and West Yorkshire police have confirmed they are now investigating. Action Fraud has apologised to the Department for this error.
	I issued a warning notice to the trust on 17 May. The warning notice is available on the Department's website at:
	http://media.education.gov.uk/assets/files/pdf/k/kings%20science%20academy%20warning%20notice.pdf
	The warning notice makes clear my requirements, and the possible repercussions.

Languages: Education

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment his Department has made of the effect of school children studying Latin or Ancient Greek on their aptitude for English or other European languages.

Elizabeth Truss: The Department for Education is aware of research evidence that suggests a link between the study of Latin and more effective learning of other languages. We are aware of no specific evidence with regard to ancient Greek.
	Modern English contains a substantial proportion of words derived from Latin and ancient Greek. Study of Latin equips pupils to learn a related modern language, such as French, Spanish; Italian, Portuguese or Romanian.

Languages: Education

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps he is taking to encourage school children to learn foreign languages.

Elizabeth Truss: The English Baccalaureate is already encouraging more young people to take a language at GCSE level. The number of pupils at the end of key stage 4 (ages 14 to 16) in England entered for a modern foreign language GCSE increased by over 20% from 2012 to 2013.
	We have made study of a foreign language compulsory at key stage 2 (ages seven to 11) as part of the new national curriculum, which comes into force from September 2014. Schools will be able to teach any modern or ancient foreign language.

Ministers' Private Offices

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether he (a) has appointed or (b) intends to appoint an enlarged ministerial office.

Elizabeth Truss: I refer the hon. Member to the Minister for the Cabinet Office's answer of 28 November 2013.

Overseas Students: EU Nationals

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what estimate he has made of the number of students coming to study in the UK from (a) Romania and (b) Bulgaria in (i) each of the last five years and (ii) each of the next five years.

David Laws: No estimate has been made of the number, of students coming to study in England from Romania and Bulgaria.

Schools: Sports

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what recent discussions his Department has had with schools to encourage them to allow community organisations and clubs to use their sporting facilities when they are not otherwise in use.

Edward Timpson: The Department encourages all schools to offer the use of their facilities to community organisations and clubs, should that be appropriate in local circumstances.
	The Department for Education is working with the Department of Health and Department of Culture, Media and Sport specifically to build links between schools and community clubs, and increase the participation levels of children, young people and parents, in sport and healthy activity.
	Through the 'Satellite Club' programme, run by Sport England, every secondary school and college in England will be offered a community sport club ('satellite club') by 2017 on its site. Each club will have a direct link to one or more national governing bodies for sport, depending on the local area.

Secondment

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many of his Department's civil servants have been seconded to (a) the private sector and (b) trades unions in each year since 2010.

Elizabeth Truss: According to centrally held records, the Department for Education has had one member of staff working for the private sector since 2010. The arrangement was a staff development initiative with a reciprocating placement made available. As this was a reciprocal arrangement, no payment was involved.
	No civil servants have been seconded to any trade unions.

Secondment

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many secondees from (a) trades unions and (b) the voluntary sector have worked in his Department since 2010.

Elizabeth Truss: According to centrally held records, the Department for Education has had one secondee from the voluntary sector since 2010.
	No civil servants have been seconded from any trade unions.

TRANSPORT

Aviation

Alun Cairns: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make an assessment of the effect on businesses in airports of recent changes by airlines to their policies which prevent passengers from bringing items they have purchased at the airport in addition to their carry-on baggage allowance.

Robert Goodwill: We have no plans to make such an assessment. The size and amount of baggage, be it cabin or hold, that a passenger is permitted to take on board a commercial aircraft is a matter for airlines to decide as private commercial companies.

Car Sharing

Stephen Gilbert: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much funding his Department has provided for car share schemes in each of the next five years.

Stephen Hammond: While no funding is being directly awarded to car sharing schemes over the next five years, car sharing schemes do feature in a number of the transport projects funded via the £600 million local sustainable transport fund which will run until 2015. Currently just under 50% of the 96 projects approved for funding feature elements of car sharing and car club schemes.
	The local sustainable transport fund has now been extended into 2015-16 and £100 million capital funding is to be administered via the local growth fund on a competitive basis. A separate revenue funding stream of £78.5 million will be managed by the Department for Transport and will be allocated via competition.

Cycling: Safety

George Galloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  if he will bring forward legislative proposals to make (a) sensors for the blindspot and (b) other cycling safety equipment a legal requirement on all new (i) heavy goods vehicles and (ii) passenger service vehicles;
	(2)  if he will bring forward legislative proposals to make (a) sensors for the blindspot and (b) other cycling safety equipment a legal requirement on all existing (i) heavy goods vehicles and (ii) passenger service vehicles.

Robert Goodwill: The Department for Transport has led moves at the UN-ECE to improve the mirrors fitted to new heavy goods vehicles. Once implemented at EU level these new mirrors will help cycle safety by increasing the driver's view of the passenger side.
	The International Standards Organisation (ISO) is developing a standard for camera monitoring systems fitted to road vehicles. The Government anticipates the standard will be included within the UN-ECE regulation as a means to improve further the driver vision for new large vehicles. It is possible that these new mirrors and camera systems could be fitted to existing large vehicles.
	There are no plans currently to introduce requirements for sensing systems to detect cyclists alongside heavy vehicles. A full assessment of these systems will be needed before reaching a decision to impose additional costs on operators of these vehicles.

Cycling: Safety

George Galloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will launch a public education campaign to encourage all cyclists to engage in safe cycling practice.

Robert Goodwill: Cycling safety is one of the THINK! road safety campaign priorities for 2013-14. This autumn I launched the first paid-for media campaign targeting drivers and cyclists with cycle safety messages.
	Working in partnership with Transport for London (TfL), THINK! adopted TfL's ‘tips' campaign and extended it to run in five cities across England where cyclist KSIs are highest (outside of London). These cities included Leeds, Manchester, Birmingham, Bristol and Cambridge.
	The campaign consisted of “outdoor” advertising running in roadside locations. Outdoor media was chosen as it enables us to reach and remind drivers and cyclists at the point of action and when behaviour is more likely to be positively influenced (i.e. when they are driving or cycling). The campaign consisted of a series of tips, developed to be even-handed and balanced in their approach and to educate and remind both drivers and cyclists about the correct way to drive and ride, and reduce the number of collisions on the road.
	The campaign launched on 21 October and ran for four weeks; coinciding with the end of British summertime and the clocks going back. A review of the campaigns performance will be carried out shortly and the results will inform our cycling approach going forward.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Dan Byles: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will provide a figure for the total cost to HS2 Ltd of running all phase one community forum meetings and all phase one bilateral meetings, taking account of associated costs including those of staff time, travel expenses, materials and preparation time and all other relevant costs.

Robert Goodwill: Information is not available in the form requested and can be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	The HS2 Phase One community forums have been an important part of the engagement process and have provided an opportunity for members of the community to put their issues, ideas and priorities to the engineers and environment teams developing the design. The forum process has been valuable in the development of the scheme and its mitigation.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether anyone working for or on behalf of HS2 Ltd or his Department met Lord Heseltine or any person on his behalf or provided information, drafted or prepared any part of the speech delivered by Lord Heseltine to the Royal Town Planning Institute on High Speed 2.

Robert Goodwill: Special advisers and Department for Transport officials met Lord Heseltine on 31 October to brief him on the recently published Strategic Case for High Speed 2. This was part of a wider strategy of stakeholder engagement.
	Subsequently, officials provided Lord Heseltine with further information in order for him to draft aspects of his pre-arranged speech on Local Growth, which he delivered at the Royal Town Planning Institute on 12 November.

Pedestrian Crossings

Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  when the pelican crossing was given type approval; when highway authorities were advised not to install new pelican crossings; and what process of decision-taking and action would be required to stop the introduction of any new pelican crossings;
	(2)  what information his Department holds on the relative risks to pedestrians on or near the different types of signal-controlled pedestrian crossings;
	(3)  what the outcome was of his recent meeting with the Safer Roads Foundation and Michael Woodford to discuss safer light-controlled pedestrian crossings.

Robert Goodwill: Pelican crossings were first prescribed in law in 1969. In the 1990s, in response to concerns raised by pedestrians about intimidation on the crossing during the flashing green man/flashing amber phase, the Department developed the puffin crossing, which was first prescribed in 1997. Puffin crossings provide greater benefits for road users by using detectors to automatically extend the crossing time for those who need it, and to cancel unwanted demands to reduce delays to drivers.
	The decision on what type of crossing to provide is for local authorities. The Department's guidance in the Puffin Good Practice Guide (published in 2006 and available at
	http://assets.dft.gov.uk/publications/puffin-good-practice/puffin-good-practice-guide.pdf
	clearly explains the benefits of puffin crossings and encourages local authorities to use them. Many local authorities have already made it their policy to only install puffin crossings.
	Research commissioned by the Department showed that pelican crossings converted to puffin crossings showed an average reduction in, accidents of 17%. The report is available to download from:
	www.trl.co.uk/online_store/reports_publications/trl_reports/cat_traffic_engineering/report_puffin_pedestrian_crossing _accident_study.htm
	The meeting with the Safer Roads Foundation and PACTS discussed the installation and use of both pelican and puffin crossings. As part of revising the Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions (TSRGD), the Department will be updating its guidance on designing and installing appropriate crossings.

Rescue Services: Belfast

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport on how many occasions the Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centre, Belfast, was staffed at below risk-assessed levels in October 2013.

Stephen Hammond: Belfast Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) was staffed at below risk assessed levels in October 2013 on five occasions out of 62 shifts.
	These situations are mitigated by “MRCC pairing” where each MRCC is connected to at least one other MRCC which is available to provide mutual support. In respect of Belfast MRCC, mutual support is available through a fixed link from Stornoway MRCC and dial-up links from the MRCCs at Shetland, Aberdeen, Liverpool or Holyhead.
	Every effort is being made to recruit staff. Recently the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) successfully recruited more coastguards filling 28 vacancies, with a further 31 recruits in the final stages of appointment. A further recruitment campaign was launched on 6 November. With this, and now that negotiations with the trade union have concluded with 79% of PCS members voting to accept the new terms and conditions, the MCA believes that this will help stabilise the current staffing issues.

Rescue Services: Liverpool

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport on how many occasions the Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centre, Liverpool, was staffed at below risk-assessed levels in October 2013.

Stephen Hammond: Liverpool Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) was staffed at below risk assessed levels in October 2013 on 20 occasions out of 62 shifts.
	These situations are mitigated by 'MRCC pairing' where each MRCC is connected to at least one other MRCC which is available to provide mutual support. In respect of Liverpool MRCC mutual support is available through a fixed link from Holyhead MRCC and dial up links from the MRCCs at Milford Haven, Swansea, Belfast or Aberdeen.
	Every effort is being made to recruit staff. Recently the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) successfully recruited more coastguards filling 28 vacancies with a further 31 recruits in the final stages of appointment. A further recruitment campaign was launched on 6 November. With this and now that negotiations with the trade union have concluded with 79% of PCS members voting to accept the new terms and conditions, the MCA believes that this will help stabilise the current staffing issues.

Rescue Services: Stornoway

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport on how many occasions the Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centre, Stornoway, was staffed at below risk-assessed levels in October 2013.

Stephen Hammond: Stornoway Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) was staffed at below risk assessed levels in October 2013 on eight occasions out of 62 shifts.
	These situations are mitigated by “MRCC pairing” where each MRCC is connected to at least one other MRCC which is available to provide mutual support. In respect of Stornoway MRCC, mutual support is available through a fixed link from Belfast MRCC and dial-up links from the MRCCs at Shetland or Humber.
	Every effort is being made to recruit staff. Recently the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) successfully recruited more coastguards filling 28 vacancies, with a further 31 recruits in the final stages of appointment. A further recruitment campaign was launched on 6 November. With this, and now that negotiations with the trade union have concluded with 79% of PCS members voting to accept the new terms and conditions, the MCA believes that this will help stabilise the current staffing issues.

Roads: Safety

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what his policy is on the appointment of a UN Special Envoy for Road Safety.

Robert Goodwill: The Government supports the UN's Decade for Action on Road Safety. We welcome any measures which reduce global road deaths.

Vehicle Number Plates

Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport by what date he expects the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency to share information from automatic information licence plates with police forces in respect of foreign registered vehicles which have been in the UK for more than six months.

Robert Goodwill: No date has been agreed at present.
	The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency is continuing to work with the UK Border Force and the police to explore how data can be used by the police to identify foreign registered vehicles that have been in the UK for longer than six months. Once this explanatory work has been completed a plan of action will be developed for implementing the proposed solution.

ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Energy: Billing

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps he is taking to help households with their energy bills.

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps he is taking to help households with their energy bills.

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps he is taking to help households with their energy bills.

Ian Mearns: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps he is taking to help households with their energy bills.

Edward Davey: The Government is providing help to consumers with energy bills in three basic ways: through direct financial support, with energy efficiency initiatives and by boosting competition. With the winter fuel payment, with the warm home discount, and with cold weather payments, in 2012-13 the Government spent over £2.5 billion on direct subsidies to reduce bills. With the Energy Company Obligation and the Green Deal we are helping consumers to reduce bills permanently. Along with Ofgem, our policies in both the retail and wholesale markets are intensifying competition to help consumers reduce their bills this winter and every winter.

Energy: Consumption

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps he is taking to reduce energy usage.

Gregory Barker: Energy efficiency has a key role to playing in helping consumers reduce their energy bills.
	As of September more than 270,000 homes had had measures installed through the Green Deal, Cash Back and ECO schemes.
	Earlier this year we concluded the procurement competitions for the provision of Smart Meter data and communication services.
	The world first Green Investment Bank will drive energy efficiency innovation.
	And the recently announced Electricity Demand Reduction pilot will explore opportunities to permanently reduce demand, through financial incentives for businesses.

Energy: Meters

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the predicted costs are for rolling out smart meters to households across the UK.

Michael Fallon: The latest Impact Assessment for the smart metering rollout published by the Department can be found at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/78666/IA-Feb.pdf
	The Impact Assessment covers Great Britain. It estimates the costs of the domestic rollout to be £11.5 billion and the benefits to be £15.9 billion over the period 2013 to 2030. We expect to publish an updated Impact Assessment early next year.

Energy: Prices

Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what progress he has made on his policy to exempt some energy intensive industries from the costs of contracts for difference.

Michael Fallon: The Government concluded its consultation on the exemption eligibility for contract for difference costs on 30 August 2013. The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills is analysing the responses received.
	The Government is also currently consulting on the detailed design of the supplier obligation, the mechanism by which suppliers will be charged the cost of contracts for difference. The Government continues to discuss its proposals for an energy intensive industry exemption with industry, and expects to publish its response to the consultation, along with draft regulations for the exemption early in 2014.
	Link:
	Electricity Market Reform: consultation - eligibility for an exemption from the costs of ‘Contracts for Difference’:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/210724/bis-13-974-electricity-market-reform-consultation-eligibility-for-an-exemption-from-the-costs-of-contracts-for-difference.pdf

Energy: Prices

Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change which energy intensive industries will qualify for exemption from the costs of contracts for difference.

Michael Fallon: The Government intends to implement an exemption for the most electricity intensive industries from some of the costs of contracts for difference, where they pose a significant risk to UK competitiveness, subject to state aid approval.
	The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills concluded its consultation on the exemption eligibility for contracts for difference costs at the end of August. This outlined that the Government's preferred approach is to base exemption on the same criteria as for the compensation scheme for the indirect costs of the carbon price floor. The Government is analysing the responses received and expects to release its response to the consultation early in 2014.
	Link:
	Electricity Market Reform: consultation - eligibility for an exemption from the costs of
	‘Contracts for Difference’:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/210724/bis-13-974-electricity-market-reform-consultation-eligibility-for-an-exemption-from-the-costs-of-contracts-for-difference.pdf

Energy: Prices

Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how the exemption from the costs of contracts for difference for energy intensive industries will be calculated.

Michael Fallon: The cost of contracts for difference—i.e. the difference between contracts for difference strike prices and the wholesale electricity price—will be borne by licensed electricity suppliers. Costs will be collected through the 'supplier obligation', which is the licence requirement for suppliers to pay the costs of contracts for difference.
	The detail of that supplier obligation is currently being consulted on. Under those proposals, the supplier obligation will be levied on all suppliers on a pound per megawatt hour basis, i.e. on the basis of electricity supplied.
	The exemption will work by excluding a proportion of the electricity supplied to energy intensive industries (EIIs) from the pound per megawatt levy. This would mean that the contracts for difference costs faced by licensed electricity suppliers would be adjusted to take into account the scale of the EII customer base. We would therefore not expect suppliers to incorporate the costs of contracts for difference in the charges made for the supply of electricity to EIIs as contracts for difference costs are not a cost caused by the supply of electricity to such customers. Market competition should ensure that savings made by licensed electricity suppliers are passed on to EIIs.

Energy: Prices

Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the effects on consumer bills of the exemption from the costs of contracts for difference for some energy intensive industries.

Michael Fallon: The Government published updated cost estimates during the consultation on the exemption eligibility for contracts for difference costs—this consultation closed at the end of August. Dependent on its final design, the average impact of the exemption on domestic household electricity bills is estimated at an average of £0.90 to £2.30 per year for the period 2016 to 2020 in 2012 prices. The actual cost will be dependent on a number of factors, including realised contracts for difference support costs, electricity demand and the final design and scope of the exemption.
	Link:
	Electricity Market Reform: consultation—eligibility for an exemption from the costs of 'Contracts for Difference'—updated cost estimates:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/232224/bis-13-1137-electricity-market-reform-eligibility-for-exemption-from-the-costs-of-contracts-for-difference-updated-cost-estimates.pdf

EU Emissions Trading Scheme

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will make an assessment of the current status of carbon trading in London and the EU Emissions Trading Scheme.

Gregory Barker: The UK supports urgent reform of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) to address the surplus of allowances in the system, to align the cap with long term targets to reduce emissions 80% by 2050 and to strengthen the carbon price to provide a strong signal to stimulate low-carbon investment. These reforms will also ensure that London remains a global hub for carbon trading, as it is currently with around 90% the EU market based in London.

Green Deal Scheme

Paul Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps his Department is taking to tackle non-accredited Green Deal companies who exploit consumers.

Gregory Barker: Any rogue trader not accredited under the Green Deal and misrepresenting it will be dealt with under consumer protection law with appropriate action taken by Trading Standards.
	The Department will also shortly be publishing a quick guide to help consumers identify genuine Green Deal authorised traders, and the guide has already been distributed among the consumer organisations.
	We continue to engage with Trading Standards, Citizens Advice, Office of Fair Trading, Consumer Futures and Which? and share information about the Green Deal, via a Consumer Protection Forum and other meetings.

Nuclear Power

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to his oral statement of 21 October 2013, Official Report, columns 23-25, on the UK nuclear energy programme, whether his comment in that statement that new nuclear will receive no support, unless similar support is also made available more widely to other types of generation, reflects a change from the policy set out in the Coalition Agreement that new nuclear power stations may be allowed, provided that they receive no public subsidy; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Fallon: The Government policy is as set out in the 7 February 2013 and 18 October 2010 statements to Parliament, made by the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, the right hon. Member for Kingston and Surbiton (Mr Davey), and his predecessor.
	The text of the statements can be found at:
	www.gov.uk/government/speeches/edward-davey-speech-to-the-commons-on-new-nuclear-power
	www.gov.uk/government/news/written-ministerial-statement-on-energy-policy-the-rt-hon-chris-huhne-mp-18-october-2010

Solar Power

Glyn Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps he is taking to ensure that solar PV is appropriately sited.

Gregory Barker: The Solar PV Roadmap, published in October 2013, sets out our policy on solar PV which should be appropriately sited, give proper weight to environmental considerations such as landscape and visual impact, heritage and local amenity, and provide opportunities for local communities to influence decisions that affect them. I have written to all local planning authorities emphasising the importance DECC attaches to ensuring solar PV is appropriately sited.
	Separately, DECC is also working with industry and the National Solar Centre through the Sustainability and Land Use Task Force, combined with a series of regional roadshows, to generate best practice for developers and ensure that this is widely disseminated.

JUSTICE

Courts: Security Guards

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many court security officers for (a) Mitie, (b) G4S and (c) Securitas have been officially designated by the Lord Chancellor under the Court Security Officer (Designated) Regulations 2005 since the regulations came into force.

Shailesh Vara: Her Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) do not hold the requested information for the period between 2005 and 2009.
	Between 2009 and 2012, MITIE were the primary supplier of Court Security Officers (CSOs) for the courts within my Department. During that period, a total of 755 CSOs were designated. No G4S or Securitas Officers were designated.
	From February 2012 to date, MITIE and G4S are the main suppliers of designated CSOs for HMCTS. During this period, 418 CSOs have been designated for MITIE, 460 CSOs designated for G4S. No CSOs have been designated for Securitas.

Defamation

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the Government's policy is on whether families of deceased persons should be able to sue under the law of defamation following recent jurisprudence on the issue in the European Court of Human Rights.

Shailesh Vara: It is a long standing legal principle that a deceased person cannot be defamed as reputation is personal. The Government has no plans to change the law in this area. This principle is not affected by the recent European Court of Human Rights judgment in Putistin v. Ukraine, which concerned an applicant who sought redress for damage to his and his family's reputation affecting him, rather than damage to the reputation of the deceased person.

Family Proceedings: Legal Aid Scheme

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps he is taking to ensure that adequate legal aid is available for family cases; and what plans he has to adapt the qualifying rules for assistance under the new regulations.

Shailesh Vara: At around £2 billion a year we have one of the most expensive legal aid systems in the world and in the current challenging economic climate we cannot continue to sustain this type of spending. It is essential that resources are focused on cases where legal aid is most needed—that is where people's life or liberty is at stake, where they are at risk of serious physical harm or immediate loss of their home, or where their children may be taken into care. Even after all of our changes we will still have one of the most generous systems—at around £1.5 billion a year.
	As part of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 we made sure that where domestic abuse or child protection issues exist in a private family case, legal aid would remain available. Recognising concerns about potential difficulties in accessing legal aid, we significantly widened the list of evidence that could be used to prove domestic abuse during the passage of the Bill. Although, too early to have a definitive picture, latest figures from the Legal Aid Agency show that legal aid is granted to the majority of people who apply for legal aid on the basis of the domestic violence evidence requirements.
	During debate on the regulations on 27 March 2013, Official Report, House of Lords, column 1114, we committed to monitor and review the operation of the requirement for evidence.
	We expect this review to be completed early in the new year, following engagement with stakeholders.

Human Trafficking: Convictions

Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many victims of (a) human trafficking and (b) forced labour have been wrongly convicted in each of the last three years.

Oliver Heald: I have been asked to reply.
	The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) maintains no records of the number of prosecutions or convictions against victims of (a) human trafficking and (b) forced labour. This information is unlikely to be available even on a manual check of all case files, which would incur disproportionate cost.
	However, the CPS has issued comprehensive legal guidance to advise prosecutors of the steps they should take in cases where the police have arrested potential victims of trafficking and forced labour who have committed criminal offences and referred them for charge. If information suggests that they have been trafficked, prosecutors are advised to make full inquiries and consider whether the case against them should be discontinued. However, a prosecutor can only take these steps if they have information from the police or other sources that a suspect might be a victim of trafficking.

Immigration: Appeals

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how large the current backlog of cases awaiting immigration tribunal is.

Shailesh Vara: The First-tier Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chamber) and Upper Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chamber) hear and decide appeals against decisions made by the Home Office on asylum, immigration and nationality matters.
	The First-tier Tribunal (Asylum and Immigration Chamber) and Upper Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chamber) are administered by HM Courts and Tribunal Service, an executive agency of the Ministry of Justice (MOJ). Information on appeals before the tribunal is published by MoJ in the Tribunal Statistics quarterly. The most recent report is for the period April to June 2013, which includes the number of outstanding cases before the tribunal. This can be viewed at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/tribunal-statistics-quarterly-april-to-june-2013

Mesothelioma

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many claims have been brought against Government departments by people with mesothelioma since May 2010.

Oliver Heald: I have been asked to reply.
	The information cannot be provided as it is not readily available or held centrally. It could be obtained only at a disproportionate cost. Mesothelioma claims are handled by various Government Departments, and agencies, including The Treasury Solicitor. The Treasury Solicitor does not act for all Government Departments and agencies and some of these claims are handled by external solicitors.

HEALTH

Clinical Commissioning Groups

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance his Department provides on a clinical commissioning group's right to withhold from publication a register of the interests of its board members.

Daniel Poulter: The National Health Service Act 2006, as amended by the Health and Social Care Act 2012, requires clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) to publish, or make arrangements to ensure that members of the public have access to registers of interest on request. CCGs must describe in their constitution the arrangements for making the register of interests publicly available, including for those people that do not have access to the internet.
	NHS England has issued guidance "Managing Conflicts of Interest: Guidance for Clinical Commissioning Groups", which states that CCGs should:
	make the Register of Interest available upon request for inspection at CCGs headquarters or local health premises;
	ensure the document is available upon application (either by post or e-mail); and
	make arrangements with local health authorities for copies to be made available via local libraries.
	A copy of the guidance has been placed in the Library.

Depressive Illnesses

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average age of the onset of depression was in (a) 1983, (b) 1993, (c) 2003 and (d) 2012.

Norman Lamb: Data on the age of the onset of depression is not held centrally.

General Practitioners

Lorely Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will review the training given to GPs on dealing with patients who have learning disabilities.

Daniel Poulter: The content and standard of medical training is the responsibility of the General Medical Council (GMC). The GMC is an independent professional body. It has the general function of promoting high standards of medical education and co-ordinating all stages of medical education to ensure that students and newly qualified doctors are equipped with the knowledge, skills and attitudes essential for professional practice.
	The Government has mandated Health Education England (HEE) to provide national leadership on education, training and work force development in the national health service. This mandate includes a commitment that HEE will ensure that general practitioner (GP) training produces GPs with the required competencies to practise in the new national health service. Consequently, HEE will work with stakeholders to influence training curricula as appropriate.

Health Education England

Liz Kendall: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much Health Education England has spent on consultancy services in (a) 2012-13 and (b) 2013-14 to date.

Daniel Poulter: Health Education England (HEE)—including the 13 local education and training boards (LETBs), which HEE took responsibility for on 1 April 2013—has recorded spending on consultancy services as:
	£269,000 in 2012-13; and
	£318,000 for the financial year 2013-14 (up to the end of October 2013).
	The increase in 2013-14 expenditure is due to the change in status of HEE from transitional form to fully operational in April 2013, when they assumed responsibility for the 13 LETBs.

Health Services

Liz Kendall: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much was spent by specialist commissioning hubs on consultancy services in (a) 2012-13 and (b) 2013-14 to date.

Daniel Poulter: NHS England is responsible for directly commissioning specialised services, and has developed service specifications on a national basis, to ensure that patients can access the same high quality services regardless of where they live in England.
	There are 10 area teams in England, established on 1 April 2013, that hold contracts with providers for specialised services and ensure that specifications are met. These are staffed by teams who are expert in contracting for specialised services.
	NHS England has confirmed that in 2012-13 and so far in 2013-14, no money has been spent by the 10 area teams on consultancy services in respect of their specialised commissioning activities.

Healthwatch England

Liz Kendall: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much Healthwatch England spent on consultancy services in (a) 2012-13 and (b) 2013-14 to date.

Norman Lamb: In 2012-13, Healthwatch England spent £24,822 on consultancy services.
	In 2013-14, Healthwatch England's spend to date is £9,462.50 on consultancy services.

Home Care Services

Jim Dobbin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to improve social care provision in domiciliary settings.

Norman Lamb: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to him on 25 November 2013, Official Report, columns 148-49W.

Muscular Dystrophy: West Midlands

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to increase the number of neuromuscular care advisers and the paediatric neuromuscular consultant provision in the West Midlands.

Norman Lamb: NHS England is responsible for commissioning specialised services, including neuromuscular services.
	NHS England published Neurosciences: Specialised Neurology (Adult) in July 2013. This service specification describes the service commissioned by NHS England for patients with a neuromuscular disorder. Care is provided via a managed clinical pathway that supports multidisciplinary and cross organisational working. The multi-disciplinary team includes neuromuscular care co-ordinators.
	The service specification has been implemented from 1 October 2013. NHS England is working with providers to ensure they comply with the service description and standards.

NHS England

Liz Kendall: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the (a) total budget, (b) total number of staff and (c) budget for staff salaries is for those employed by NHS England but not for NHS England local area teams. [Official Report, 10 December 2013, Vol. 572, c. 1-2MC.]

Daniel Poulter: NHS England's total revenue budget for 2013-14 is £95.873 million, of which £2.016 million is to be spent on administration. How all spending is allocated is a matter for NHS England. NHS England has informed us that the administration budget for NHS England, excluding area teams and commissioning support units (its National Support Centre), is £332.2 million.
	As at the end of October 2013, NHS England had 886.15 whole time equivalent staff in post within its National Support Centre.
	The total pay budget for the total agreed staff numbers within the National Support Centre (1,106.48 whole time equivalent) is £75.2 million. There are currently vacancies within this staff structure.

NHS England

Liz Kendall: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much NHS England spent on consultancy services in (a) 2012-13 and (b) 2013-14 to date.

Daniel Poulter: NHS England has informed us that expenditure on consultancy was £578,000 in 2012-13 and £1.78 million in 2013-14.

NHS Property Services

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) communications, (b) press and (c) public relations officers are employed by NHS Property Services; and what the salary is of each officer.

Daniel Poulter: The number of staff with communications responsibilities in their roles in NHS Property Services Ltd (NHS PS) at each Agenda for Change (AfC) pay band are shown in the following table. NHS PS does not employ any specific press or public relations officers; this work is undertaken by the communications staff.
	
		
			 AfC band Salary Number of staff 
			 VSM1 £130,000-£135,000 1 
			 8c £54,998-£67,805 1 
			 8a £39,239-£47,088 6 
			 7 £30,764-£40,558 1 
			 1 Very senior manager 
		
	
	These staff transferred into the company from primary care trusts and strategic health authorities on their existing terms and conditions.
	As with all national health service funded organisations, we are looking to further rationalise and reduce back-office costs.

NHS: Finance

Nick Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions his Department has had with NHS England as part of the health funding review of allocations.

Daniel Poulter: NHS England and the Department have been discussing health funding, including progress on the fundamental review of allocations, at regular accountability meetings.
	Responsibility for resource allocation is a matter for NHS England as set out in the mandate. NHS England is overseeing the fundamental review of allocation policy and will draw on the expert advice of the independent Advisory Committee on Resource Allocation (ACRA) and involve a range of external partners. NHS England will consider the recommendations and findings of ACRA as part of this.

NHS: Redundancy

Nick Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS employees have taken redundancy since May 2013; and how many such people have since been re-employed in (a) publicly-funded healthcare and (b) other forms of healthcare contracted to the NHS.

Daniel Poulter: This information is not available from the date requested.

Out-patients: Attendance

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will introduce a system to gather information on the cost to the NHS of missed appointments.

Daniel Poulter: The financial cost of missed appointments is very complex to calculate, for example resources wasted or time lost due to missed appointments can be offset by national health service staff using the time productively in other ways, such as seeing other patients. The cost of introducing a system to gather information would therefore be disproportionate. Locally, NHS organisations should be seeking to understand and address how best to achieve reductions in missed appointments in their areas.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Adam Smith International

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the value of contracts awarded by her Department to Adam Smith International was in each of the last 10 years.

Justine Greening: The value of contracts awarded in each year to Adam Smith International is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Amount (£) 
			 2008-09 42,266,339 
			 2009-10 13,785,832 
			 2010-11 33,273,602 
			 2011-12 66,409,259 
			 2012-13 16,356,209 
		
	
	Information from previous years is not held centrally in our systems on a comparable basis.

Africa

Fiona O'Donnell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps her Department is taking to reduce maternal mortality in (a) Liberia, (b) Sierra Leone, (c) Kenya and (d) Nigeria.

Lynne Featherstone: DFID is supporting health programmes that focus on maternal health in each of these four countries. These programmes deliver a range of health interventions from pre-pregnancy to early childhood, for example increasing access to modern family planning methods, improving coverage and quality of skilled delivery care at birth, and working with communities to increase demand for and use of quality health services. Programmes in these four countries are contributing towards the UK Government's commitment to save the lives of at least 50,000 women during pregnancy and childbirth and 250,000 newborn babies by 2015.

Burma

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions her Department has had with communities in areas of Burma negatively affected by foreign investment before the decision was made to fund the Myanmar Centre for Responsible Business.

Alan Duncan: Prior to the creation of the Myanmar Centre for Responsible Business, discussions about its potential work were held both within and outside Burma with civil society, as well as with business, government, trade unions and experts. Particular attention was paid to regions of the country made especially vulnerable due to conflict, ethnic and religious strife, and corruption.

Burma

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what funding her Department provides for building civil society capacity in Burma.

Alan Duncan: DFID has allocated £11 million for building civil society capacity in Burma from July 2011 to March 2016.

Burma

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much her Department will spend on promoting good governance in Burma in 2013-14; and what proportion of such funding will be channelled through (a) the Burmese Government and (b) civil society.

Alan Duncan: DFID has allocated £12.8 million for good governance in Burma in 2013-14. This includes funding through the UN, NGOs and civil society. No UK aid is given through budget support to the Government of Burma.

Developing Countries: Climate Change

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment she has made of the adequacy of future funding arrangements of the Green Climate Fund; and what recent discussions she has had with her international counterparts on their contributions.

Lynne Featherstone: The UK Government is working closely with our international partners to ensure the Green Climate Fund is set up to offer good value for money. Discussions are on-going during the design phase.

Developing Countries: Females

Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what timetable she has set for delivering pledges made by the UK at the recent High-Level Meeting on violence against women and girls in humanitarian contexts; and what steps the Government plans to take to hold other governments accountable for their pledges.

Justine Greening: I refer the hon. Member to my written ministerial statement laid on 18 November 2013, Official Report, column 40WS. I will update the House in due course.

Developing Countries: Midwives

Fiona O'Donnell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps her Department is taking to address the shortage of midwives in developing countries.

Lynne Featherstone: The UK Government is supporting action to reduce the number of babies born without a skilled attendant, such as a midwife present, and to reduce maternal mortality and increase child survival. We are helping countries where we work to develop their own health care systems and efforts to build and maintain health worker capacity. This includes support to train health workers such as midwives and nurses.
	In addition, DFID funds the Health Partnership Scheme that supports partnerships between UK and developing country health institutions aimed at strengthening health worker knowledge and skills. DFID also supports the Global Health Workforce Alliance, which advocates for improved human resources for health and supports countries' health workforce co-ordination and planning.

Developing Countries: Sanitation

Tracey Crouch: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps she plans to take to promote the importance of the water and sanitation sector at the Sanitation and Water for All high level meeting in April 2014.

Lynne Featherstone: The UK will be represented at the 2014 Sanitation and Water for All (SWA) high level meeting. DFID officials are working to ensure that it builds momentum around the ongoing importance of WASH in supporting poverty reduction and sustainable development. The UK was instrumental in establishing the Sanitation and Water for All initiative. We remain active members on the Steering Committee and we are leading work to improve global monitoring.

Kenya

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment she has made of the threat presented by al-Shabaab to the humanitarian effort in northern Kenya.

Alan Duncan: Al-Shabaab represent a significant threat to humanitarian efforts in parts of North East Kenya. This threat includes kidnap, explosive devices and theft. Humanitarian agencies adapt their operations on the basis of a regular assessment of risk to ensure that aid reaches those in need.

Kenya

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent reports she has received on the humanitarian situation in northern Kenya; and what steps the Government has taken at the UN in response to funding shortages in the Dadaab and Kakuma refugee camps.

Lynne Featherstone: We are in touch with agencies on the ground and have recently made a visit. The rains started late and the current estimates are that the number in need of food assistance may rise from the existing 850,000 across Kenya. UKAid is already supporting programmes in Northern Kenya to address this vulnerability by providing regular cash payments and livelihood support to some of the poorest families so that they can better cope with droughts and supporting health facilities so they have capacity to treat and prevent acute malnutrition in children. There are plans in place to scale up these programmes if the situation worsens. The region also hosts some 525,000 refugees and UKAid is providing £39.2 million over three years to support their assistance needs (including £3.2 million in July 2013 to help avert a shortfall in special nutritional products for malnourished children and mothers). DFID is pressing other donors to do more for refugees and considering a further allocation this year given ongoing gaps.

Overseas Aid

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development which country programmes have an increase in project spending in excess of five per cent for the current financial year; and what these increases are in actual and percentage terms.

Alan Duncan: This information can be found in the DFID Annual Report 2012-13, available at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dfid-annual-report-and-accounts-2012-13

Overseas Aid

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the cost to the public purse was of developing and launching her Department’s Development Tracker platform.

Alan Duncan: The cost of developing and launching the alpha, beta and live versions of the Development Tracker platform was £338,039 excluding VAT and internal salary costs.

Overseas Aid

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many unique visits were made to her Department's Development Tracker since its launch from (a) the UK and (b) overseas; and how many such visits there were to each of the domain's sub-pages.

Alan Duncan: The Development Tracker was launched on 31 October 2013. Since then, there have been 13,718 unique visits, (a) 8,466 from the UK and (b) 5,252 from overseas.
	There are 13,114 sub-pages within the Development Tracker. It is not possible to provide a list of the number of visits to each of those pages.

Somalia

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the recent UK aid delivery to Puntland.

Justine Greening: The effectiveness of UK aid programmes in Somalia (including in Puntland) is assessed regularly as part of our programme management cycle. Programmes are countrywide, rather than region-specific, with a geographical focus where development needs are greatest.

WOMEN AND EQUALITIES

Civil Partnerships

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities what progress has been made on the review to consider legalising heterosexual civil partnerships.

Helen Grant: Preparatory work for the consultation required as part of the review of the operation and future of the Civil Partnership Act 2004 under the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act 2013, has been undertaken. We hope to publish this consultation document shortly.

Secondment

Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities how many of the Government Equalities Office's civil servants have been seconded to (a) the private sector and (b) trades unions in each year since 2010.

Helen Grant: No civil servants from the Government Equalities Office have been seconded to the private sector or trade unions.

Secondment

Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities how many secondees from (a) trade unions and (b) the voluntary sector have worked in the Government Equalities Office since 2010.

Helen Grant: No secondees have worked in the Government Equalities Office since 2010.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Betting

Gerry Sutcliffe: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent discussions she has had with the Gambling Commission on in-running laying on a betting exchange by those benefiting from the time delay between live and transmitted events; and if she will make a statement.

Helen Grant: I regularly discuss a range of issues with the Gambling Commission. Betting in-running is legal under the 2005 Gambling Act and the Gambling Commission's current position, after much consideration and public consultation, is that the risk to the licensing objectives is adequately mitigated by ensuring that consumers are warned about the potential disadvantage to which they may expose themselves if they choose to bet in this way. However, the Gambling Commission continues to monitor evidence in this area and to observe developments which might have a bearing on that position.

Digital Broadcasting: Radio

Tracey Crouch: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will take steps to ensure that all UK local radio stations are guaranteed a platform on DAB should digital radio switchover go ahead; and if she will make a statement.

Edward Vaizey: Government recognises the importance of local commercial radio stations to the communities they serve and is committed to reserving part of the FM spectrum as a platform for local and community radio stations, for as long as it is needed. My officials are also working with Ofcom to consider the potential options for smaller local stations to migrate to digital in the lead up to and after a future switchover. We are very encouraged by the recent research Ofcom has carried out on software enabling small scale DAB transmissions, which has been successfully trialled in Brighton.

Digital Broadcasting: Radio

Tracey Crouch: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment her Department has made of (a) the extent of public access to DAB radio, (b) the number of listeners that will lose access to local radio stations and (c) whether audio quality will improve for listeners in the event of a UK digital radio switchover.

Edward Vaizey: Following the launch of the Digital Radio Action plan in 2010, local DAB coverage has increased from 66% to 72%. In October, the BBC announced plans to extend coverage for its national DAB services from 94% to 97.3% of households, and Arqiva has developed plans for the extension of national commercial DAB services from 84.9% to 91% of households to match Classic FM coverage.
	We have always said that FM will continue to be an appropriate platform for smaller commercial stations and community radio. The vast majority of digital radio sets have FM included and this is mandated in the minimum technical specifications drawn up by industry as part of the Digital Radio Action Plan. This means that listeners who switch to digital radio will still be able to get local services on FM. We recognise the desire from small local and community radio stations to have a pathway onto the DAB platform and are working with Ofcom on examining the potential of new small scale DAB solutions following a successful trial earlier this year in Brighton.
	Independent research carried out in Bath by IPSOS/Mori found that households were very positive about digital radio with 80% of participants rating it as better than analogue radio.

Digital Broadcasting: Radio

Tracey Crouch: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate she has made of the cost of a digital radio switchover; and if she will make an estimate of (a) the incremental annual cost of improving local DAB coverage so that coverage reaches 90 per cent of households and all major roads at the earliest opportunity and (b) how much funding her Department would seek from the Exchequer for a possible digital radio switchover.

Edward Vaizey: DCMS' assessment of the costs and benefits of a digital radio switchover will be set out in a cost benefit analysis (CBA). We intend to provide an update on our plans for digital radio at the end of the year.

Digital Broadcasting: Radio

Tracey Crouch: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if her Department will commission an independent cost-benefit analysis on digital radio switchover viability prior to taking any decision on that matter; and if she will publish the results of her Department's previous cost-benefit analysis on this matter.

Edward Vaizey: The Government will use a cost benefit analysis (CBA) to inform any decision about switchover. DCMS has been developing that analysis, and consulted on the CBA's methodology in summer 2012. In the light of feedback from the sector, DCMS has continued to develop its approach in order to inform policy discussions and decisions, drawing on advice from Whitehall and external analysts. We intend to provide an update on our plans for digital radio at the end of the year.

Direct Selling

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make an assessment of the efficacy of the legal framework in the Privacy and Electronic Communications (EC Directive) Regulations 2003 in relation to the regulatory system for reporting and preventing nuisance telesales or automated calls; and what representations has she received on this matter.

Edward Vaizey: The Privacy and Electronic Communications (EC Directive) Regulations 2003 enable the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) to issue a monetary penalty of up to £500,000 to any organisation that wilfully or negligently makes calls to Telephone Preference Service calls to a particular number. Complaints can be quickly and easily reported to the ICO online at:
	http://www.ico.org.uk/complaints/marketing/2
	Since January 2012, the ICO has issued five substantial monetary penalties totalling £660,000 and action against other organisations is also under consideration. Also, in spring 2014 the Office of Communications (Ofcom) will be conducting a review of the effectiveness of the TPS and further details are available at:
	http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/consultations/silent-calls/joint-action-plan
	We will review Ofcom's findings carefully to see what further action can be taken to tackle nuisance calls. The Department has received representations from consumer group representatives, regulators, industry and Members of Parliament, requesting for action to be taken in this area. In response, we are working closely with them to find effective solutions, and our further thinking will be set out in our action plan, which will be published shortly.

Londonderry

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans she has to visit Londonderry before the end of that city's year as UK City of Culture.

Edward Vaizey: In my role as Minister for Culture, Communications and the Creative Industries, I was on an official visit to Londonderry last week.

Ministers' Private Offices

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether she (a) has appointed or (b) intends to appoint an enlarged ministerial office.

Helen Grant: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Minister for the Cabinet Office today.

Secondment

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many of her Department's civil servants have been seconded to (a) the private sector and (b) trades unions in each year since 2010.

Helen Grant: The number of civil servants that have been seconded to (a) The private sector and (b) trade unions in each year since 2010 is shown in the following table:
	
		
			 Financial year (a) The private sector (b) Trade unions 
			 2010-11 0 0 
			 2011-12 2 0 
			 2013 (to date) 0 0

Secondment

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many secondees from (a) trades unions and (b) the voluntary sector have worked in her Department since 2010.

Helen Grant: The number of secondees from (a) trade unions and (b) the voluntary sector that have worked in the Department since 2010 is shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Number of secondees 
			 (a) Trade unions 0 
			 (b) Voluntary sector 0

Sports: Schools

Tracey Crouch: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Education on changing the regulations that those applying to build new schools must meet in regard to changing rooms; and if she will make a statement.

Helen Grant: I have regular discussions with ministerial colleagues at the Department for Education on a range of issues.

Telecommunications

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport 
	(1)  if her Department will bring forward legislation to prevent and penalise unintentional telephone slamming whereby customers are penalised because of a telecoms company mistake;
	(2)  what assessment her Department has made of the potential benefits of fining telecommunications companies that have slammed telephone lines for reasons other than mis-selling of services;
	(3)  if she will make an assessment of the adequacy of current legislation for preventing phone slamming; if she will bring forward legislative proposals on phone slamming which apply in circumstances where phone lines are accidently slammed; and if she will make a statement.

Edward Vaizey: Slamming, when a fixed-line telephone service is transferred by a gaining provider without express knowledge and consent is prohibited under General Condition 24 of Ofcom's General Conditions of Entitlement (GCE). GCE is the regulatory framework under which telecommunications network and service providers are required to operate in the UK. Section 45 of the Communications Act 2003 provides Ofcom with the power to set such binding conditions and Section 96 of the Communications Act 2003 provides for Ofcom to issue penalties for breach of General Conditions. Ofcom can, and do, fine companies for slamming and most recently fined Supatel (trading as TimeTalk) £60,000 in June of this year for breach of General Condition 24.
	Ofcom rules explicitly prohibit all telephone companies from engaging in inappropriate sales and marketing activity, and include requirements around obtaining consent and the type of information that needs to be made available to consumers when selling services. Where Ofcom identifies clear breaches of the rules, it can take enforcement action, and has powers to fine companies and require them to remedy the consequences of any breach.
	There are also a number of safeguards built into the switching process which are specifically designed to protect consumers from both slamming and erroneous transfers, including that consumers should receive a letter informing them of the imminent takeover of their service, with a 10-day switchover period during which the order can be stopped.
	Ofcom is also carrying out a review of switching processes to ensure that switching is easy, hassle-free and works well for consumers. Better protection for consumers from the risks of slamming and erroneous transfers is a key focus of the review and Ofcom has put forward proposals for mandating two key requirements on telephone companies which are designed to address erroneous transfers associated with home moves. Ofcom has also committed to look at this issue further in the next phase of its work on switching.

ATTORNEY-GENERAL

Crimes of Violence: Females

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General pursuant to the answer of 29 October 2013, Official Report, columns 399-400W, on prosecutions, when the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) will report the findings from its further investigation into the proportion of cases of violence against women and girls that are charged; whether the findings of that investigation will be published; how many CPS staff are working on that investigation; and what resources have been allocated to that investigation.

Oliver Heald: Violence against women and girls (VAWG) is a key priority for the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and, in 2012-13, the conviction rates for cases flagged as domestic violence and rape were at record highs for the second year running.
	The CPS has had detailed discussions with a number of interested parties to better understand the fall in referrals of domestic violence and rape cases and, working with the National Policing Lead, it will convene a joint national scrutiny panel on rape early next year and the findings will be published shortly thereafter. Work on VAWG issues is progressed by a number of staff, who have responsibilities for a range of issues including VAWG. No additional resource has been allocated for this investigation.
	The work on domestic violence is being taken forward by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary (HM1C) in their investigation of the effectiveness of the police response to domestic violence and abuse across England and Wales. The findings from the inspection are due to report by April 2014.

Crown Prosecution Service

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General how many complaints about the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) have been referred to the independent assessor of CPS complaints so far this year.

Oliver Heald: The role of the Independent Assessor of Complaints (IAC) was launched on 5 June 2013. A total of 22 complaints about the Crown Prosecution Service have been referred to the IAC so far this year.

Crown Prosecution Service

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General how many victims of crime have requested reviews of a Crown Prosecution Service decision in 2013 to date; and of these how many concerned (a) decisions to take no further action and (b) discontinuance post-charge.

Oliver Heald: The Crown Prosecution Service has received 592 requests for review in the period between the launch of the Victims' Right to Review scheme on 5 June 2013 and 31 October 2013.
	(a) 396 of the requests concerned a decision not to bring proceedings (66.9%).
	(b) 196 of the requests concerned a decision to terminate proceedings after charge (33.1%). This figure comprises cases in which proceedings were terminated by discontinuance and cases in which no evidence was offered.

Crown Prosecution Service

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General what proportion of complaints about the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) made to the independent assessor of CPS complaints have been (a) fully and (b) partially upheld.

Oliver Heald: The role of the Independent Assessor of Complaints (IAC) was launched on 5 June 2013. A total of 22 complaints about the Crown Prosecution Service have been referred to the IAC of which 10 have been concluded. The proportion of complaints that have been fully upheld is 40%. The proportion that have been partially upheld is 30%.

Crown Prosecution Service

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General what proportion of reviews of Crown Prosecution Service decisions made under the Victims' Right to Review have been (a) fully and (b) partially upheld.

Oliver Heald: The Crown Prosecution Service has received 592 requests for review in the period between the launch of the Victims' Right to Review scheme on 5 June 2013 and 31 October 2013. The decision of the prosecutor was upheld in 84.3% of cases. The purpose of the scheme is to review the original decision not to proceed with a prosecution or to terminate proceedings. The review will result in the decision being upheld or not upheld there are no “partially upheld” outcomes.

Crown Prosecution Service

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General on how many occasions the Crown Prosecution Service has applied to a court for a local authority to disclose information required to support a criminal prosecution in each of the last five years.

Oliver Heald: The Crown Prosecution Service do not maintain any centrally held data that would identify the number of times a court application for a local authority to disclose information has taken place. Such information could be obtained only through a manual search of records which would incur disproportionate cost.

Flexible Working

Nick Gibb: To ask the Attorney-General how many officials in the Law Officers' Departments make use of compressed hours arrangements as part of the Civil Service's flexible working hours scheme (a) above and (b) below director level.

Oliver Heald: The number of officials in the Law Officers' Departments who are currently making use of compressed hours arrangements is detailed in the following table:
	
		
			 Number 
			  Director level Below director level 
			 TSol* 1 77 
			 CPS 0 261 
			 SFO 0 31 
			 * TSol data also covers the Attorney-General's Office and Her Majesty's Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate.

Human Trafficking: Young People

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Attorney-General whether the Crown Prosecution Services flags cases where the victim is under 18 years when prosecuting cases of human trafficking as it does in domestic violence and child abuse cases.

Oliver Heald: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) uses a “double flag” when prosecuting cases of human trafficking involving victims under 18. The double flag involves using both the Human Trafficking Monitoring Flag to identify the number of defendants prosecuted for these offences, and the Child Abuse Flag to distinguish cases where the victim was under 18 at the time of the commission of the offence.

Offenders: Deportation

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General what guidance has been issued by the Director of Public Prosecutions to prosecutors on how and when to recommend the issuance of conditional cautions to foreign offenders to facilitate their removal from the UK.

Oliver Heald: The Director's Guidance on Charging, fifth edition, published on 6 May 2013 and the Director's Guidance on Adult Conditional Cautioning, seventh edition, published in April 2013, assist authorised police officers and prosecutors in applying the Conditional Cautioning Code of Practice in deciding how an offender should be dealt with and when it is appropriate to consider a conditional caution.
	The code of practice makes specific provision for offences committed by foreign national offenders where a conditional caution is proposed to facilitate the removal of the offender from the jurisdiction. The code advises that, in appropriate cases, the public interest is in removal of the offender from the United Kingdom and the code permits consideration in any case where the sentence likely to be imposed by the court for the offence concerned will not exceed two years imprisonment.

Prosecutions

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General what recent discussions he has had with the Director of the Serious Fraud Office on the use of deferred prosecution agreements under the Crime and Courts Act 2013.

Oliver Heald: The Attorney-General and I meet regularly with the Director to discuss a range of issues. Recent discussions about deferred prosecution agreements have been at official level and my office is part of the wider Government working group on Deferred Prosecution Agreements. The consultations on the draft code of practice closed in September 2013 and SFO and CPS are reviewing the responses. I look forward to seeing the outcome of that review.

Serious Fraud Office

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General what recent requests the Director of the Serious Fraud Office has made to HM Treasury for additional funds for specific investigations.

Oliver Heald: The SFO's budget for this financial year was set during the spending review in 2010. Any additional funding sought is applied for as part of the supplementary estimates process which is only just beginning for this financial year.
	I have said before that the Serious Fraud Office must not be in a position that lack of resources prevents it from conducting an investigation where the public interest, which is determined by the Director of the Serious Fraud Office, demands one. However, it will not always be possible to give a running commentary on which investigations this affects without the risk of prejudice to those investigations.

TREASURY

Bank of England

William Bain: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations he has received supporting changes to arrangements relating to another sovereign state possessing a shareholding in the Bank of England.

Sajid Javid: The Treasury has not received any representations regarding another sovereign state owning a shareholding in the Bank of England.

Child Benefit

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how much his Department has spent administering the high-income child benefit tax charge to date;
	(2)  how many people are employed by HM Revenue and Customs to administer the high-income child benefit tax charge.

David Gauke: The position remains as set out in answers given to PQ128154 on 3 December 2012, Official Report, column 593W, and PQ136528 on 15 January 2013, Official Report, column 662W. HM Revenue and Customs will be able to provide further details on the cost and the numbers of staff administering the high income child benefit charge after the first full year of operating the charge.

Credit: Interest Rates

Jim Shannon: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps the Government is taking to assist people who take out pay-day loans and are having difficulty paying the monies back.

Sajid Javid: The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is taking over responsibility for consumer credit regulation in April 2014. The FCA proposes to put a number of requirements on lenders to treat borrowers fairly, including by treating them with forbearance and due consideration if they experience difficulties.
	It is important that consumers are protected from unfair costs, especially as these costs can spiral for people struggling to repay. The Government has announced that it will bring forward an amendment to the Banking Reform Bill to require the FCA to introduce a cap on the cost of payday loans.
	The FCA has also already proposed requirements to ensure consumers are not able to borrow more than they can afford: lenders will need to undertake thorough affordability assessments; the number of times a loan can be rolled over is limited to two, and at the point of rollover the lender must signpost borrowers to debt advice via the Money Advice Service (MAS).

Flexible Working

Nick Gibb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many officials in his Department make use of compressed hours arrangements as part of the Civil Service's flexible working hours scheme (a) above and (b) below director level.

Nicky Morgan: There are currently no staff members who are making use of compressed hours arrangements as part of the Civil Service flexible working hours scheme, that are above director level.
	There are currently 14 staff members who are making use of compressed hours arrangements as part of the Civil Service flexible working hours scheme, that are below director level.

Money Laundering

Graham Brady: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will revise his Department's advice to financial institutions regarding high risk jurisdictions in relation to the Money Laundering Regulations 2007

Sajid Javid: The Treasury revises and issues a new Advisory Notice after every plenary meeting of the Financial Action Task Force. The Notice identifies countries with strategic deficiencies in their Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorist Financing regimes.
	The Money Laundering Regulations 2007 require regulated businesses to apply enhanced due diligence and enhanced ongoing monitoring on a risk-sensitive basis in situations which present a higher risk of money laundering or terrorist financing.
	The Treasury's Advisory Notice is intended to support firms in their application of a risk-based approach to money laundering and terrorist financing controls.

Money Laundering: EU Law

Gerry Sutcliffe: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent meetings his Department has held on EU anti-money laundering directives; and if he will make a statement.

Sajid Javid: HM Treasury is leading negotiations for the UK on the fourth money laundering directive, proposals for which were published on 5 February 2013. Treasury officials have participated in EU Council Working Group meetings at expert level since then. Discussions in the EU Council Working Group have moved to attaché level, with the last meeting taking place on Wednesday 27 November.
	I attended the 15 November ECOFIN meeting, where there was a brief update on the state of play of negotiations on the directive.
	A statement from the Chancellor is not appropriate at this time. We anticipate issuing a statement following Council agreement of a general approach to proposals for the directive.

Offshore Funds: Mauritius

William Bain: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will investigate whether advice to investors on the use of off-shore jurisdictions is offered by UK-registered financial institutions, with particular reference to Mauritius.

David Gauke: There are currently no plans to investigate whether advice to investors on the use of off-shore jurisdictions is offered by UK-registered financial institutions.

Revenue and Customs: Newry

Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what consultation his Department carried out in the local area before the decision to close the HM Revenue and Customs office in Newry.

David Gauke: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has not taken the decision to close the office in Newry. Newry is one of 21 locations across the UK where some or all staff have been invited to apply for a voluntary exit scheme because the locations do not fit the medium to long-term plans of one, some or all of the lines of business based there. This is a further step HMRC is taking as it becomes a smaller, more highly-professional organisation working out of fewer locations.

Royal Bank of Scotland

Alasdair McDonnell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  with reference to the reports by Lawrence Tomlinson and Sir Andrew Large on RBS published on 25 November 2013, what assessment he has made of the practices of the Global Restructuring Group at RBS in Northern Ireland;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the findings of the reports by Lawrence Tomlinson and Sir Andrew Large on the practices of the Global Restructuring Group at RBS published on 25 November 2013;
	(3)  how many businesses in Northern Ireland were customers of the Global Restructuring Group at RBS in the last five years; and what representations he has received from these businesses following the reports by Lawrence Tomlinson and Sir Andrew Large on RBS published on 25 November 2013.

Sajid Javid: Sir Andrew Large's report, commissioned by RBS, is an independent assessment of RBS's performance in providing credit to small and medium enterprises. RBS has committed to implement the Large review recommendations in full.
	Dr Tomlinson's report—published in a private capacity—focuses on a number of individual cases. The Government is unable to comment on the veracity of the allegations. Nevertheless, they are serious allegations, and it is right that RBS are investigating them; it is important that the investigation is concluded thoroughly and promptly.
	RBS is a commercial company in which the Government is a shareholder, and it is run on a commercial basis. The Government does not hold detailed information on the number of businesses that are customers of the Global Restructuring Group.

Taxation: British Overseas Territories

William Bain: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions he has had with the UK Overseas Territories on the publication of their tax ownership registries.

David Gauke: The Government is in regular dialogue with the Overseas Territories regarding tax and transparency, including most recently at the Joint Ministerial Council on 26 November. As outlined in the communiqué, each of the Territories with a financial centre has published an action plan setting out the steps that they will take to ensure the collection and availability of complete company ownership information and are launching or have launched consultations on the question of establishing a central registry of beneficial ownership and whether this information should be publicly available. The UK continues to encourage all its international partners to join the UK in leading from the front on this issue, including through publicly accessible registries of company beneficial ownership.
	The communiqué can be found here:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/261234/131126JMC_2013_ communiqueFINAL.pdf

DEFENCE

Afghanistan

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what aircraft sustained damage during the hail storm at Kandahar on 23 April 2013; what the extent of such damage was; and if he will estimate the cost to the public purse of their repair.

Philip Dunne: The fixed wing and rotary aircraft damaged by the hailstorm at Kandahar airfield were: Hercules C130J; BAE 125; BAE 146; Chinook; Sea King and Lynx. Typically damage was experienced to aircraft skins, flight control surfaces, propellers and rotor blades.
	It is too soon to give an estimate of the cost of repairs as some aircraft are still being assessed.

Armed Forces: Recruitment

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) regular and (b) reserve forces were recruited to the (i) Army, (ii) Royal Navy and (iii) RAF in the last year for which figures are available by region.

Philip Dunne: The information requested for financial year (FY) 2012-13 is set out in the following table1. This will give an indication of the geographical spread of recruitment but does not provide a comprehensive picture of where these individuals may reside as they may not always apply to join the Services through their nearest Careers Office, and may choose other means by which to apply.
	
		
			 Region Naval Service Army Royal Air force 
			 Scotland 190 840 90 
			 North West 400 1,360 160 
			 North East 350 1,560 200 
			 Wales 160 650 90 
			 West Midlands 200 880 120 
			 East 420 1,490 250 
			 South East 420 830 120 
			 South West 480 690 250 
			 London 130 530 60 
			 Northern Ireland 50 270 10 
			 Totals 2,800 9,100 1,350 
		
	
	Regular Army officers are not recruited regionally, but centrally, and for the period in question there were some 680 recruited. The figures for the recruitment of the reserves for FY 2012-13 are not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	1 Rounding. When rounding to the nearest 10, numbers ending in “5” have been rounded to the nearest multiple of 20 to prevent systematic bias.

Contracts

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what contracts his Department has with PA Consulting; and what the (a) monetary value and (b) length is of each such contract;
	(2)  what contracts his Department has with Bechtel Corporation; and what the (a) monetary value and (b) length is of each such contract;
	(3)  what contracts his Department has with PricewaterhouseCoopers; and what the (a) monetary value and (b) length is of each such contract.

Philip Dunne: Any contracts that the Ministry of Defence (MOD) has with PA Consulting and PricewaterhouseCoopers, prior to 2011, are in the table. It includes contracts let by MOD Trading Funds, but does not include pan-Government enabling contracts, Government Procurement Card payments or miscellaneous transactions.
	Since January 2011, as part of this Government's commitment to increase transparency, central Government Departments have been required to publish information on contracts, worth over £10,000, they award on Contracts Finder. This information is available online at:
	www.contractsfinder.businesslink.gov.uk
	In some instances the contract end date is in the past. This could either be because outstanding payments are still to be made under the terms of the existing contract, or the contract has been extended and records have not yet been updated to reflect this.
	
		
			 Contract title Contract value (£) Start date End date Supplier 
			 PFI Partnering Contract 6,857,142 14 January 2007 1 March 2013 PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP 
			 Project Starling–Early production work 3,608,927 19 March 2010 7 April 2011 PA Technology Solutions Ltd 
		
	
	The Ministry of Defence has no current contracts with the Bechtel Corporation.

Defence: Procurement

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence with reference to the report entitled Viability of the Material Strategy Procurement, which was placed in the Library on 19 November 2013, 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the conclusion of the report's authors that any failure of one or more parties within any consortia could fundamentally impact the competition;
	(2)  whether his Department undertook a formal stop/go decision after one of the consortia withdrew from the GoCo bidding process on 15 November 2013; and how that decision was taken;
	(3)  what governance processes his Department has established to ensure that the negotiated deal does not become unbalanced by the need to maintain a competitive process; and whether his Department has adopted any of those processes;
	(4)  whether his Department had contingency plans in place for a further reduction in the market before the withdrawal of one of the bidding consortia on 15 November 2013;
	(5)  what steps his Department has taken to dedicate senior commercial leadership and capacity to the deal process in the GoCo bidding process;
	(6)  what steps his Department has taken to engage in regular senior stakeholder discussions at International Board and PUS level on the GoCo bidding process;
	(7)  what steps his Department has taken to require bidders to maintain contingency plans aligned to their risk profile in the GoCo bidding process;
	(8)  what steps his Department has taken to ensure the risk profiles around each bidder are actively-managed in the GoCo bidding process.

Philip Dunne: We have already made significant progress on implementing the recommendations outlined in the Viability of the Materiel Strategy Procurement report that was placed in the Library of the House on 19 November 2013. We have strengthened senior governance of the programme, exercising control at the strategic and negotiation levels respectively to ensure balance. Commercial negotiations are being led at Director-level within the Ministry of Defence (MOD) supported by a Deputy Director and a sizeable commercial team, together with specialist support from our consultancy partners.
	The Materiel Acquisition Partners Bid Team is being actively managed, including for contingency planning and risk—and we will ensure that these are reviewed regularly as we progress through the competition. We recognise that any changes to the bid teams could fundamentally impact the competition. As the Secretary of State for Defence, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), stated in his written ministerial statement on 19 November 2013, Official Report, column 44WS, we will take a formal stop/go decision now that one consortium has withdrawn, once the MOD, with the Cabinet Office and HM Treasury, have studied the detailed commercial proposal and the DE&S+ proposition. A further statement will be made once this process is complete.

Future Strategic Tanker Aircraft

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the Voyager aircraft can fit in any hangar at RAF Mount Pleasant.

Philip Dunne: Voyager aircraft do not fit in hangars currently available at RAF Mount Pleasant. We have considered any associated operational risks and are satisfied that the aircraft will deliver the capability required without the need for a hangar. Our operational effectiveness is not affected by this.

Military Bases

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Tewkesbury of 15 April 2013, Official Report, column 285W, on MOD Ashchurch, if he will place in the Library the report of the review of the vehicle basing options and greater efficiencies from relocating facilities; and if he will make a statement.

Philip Dunne: The Ministry of Defence continues to review a number of future vehicle basing options. I will write to the hon. Member once the review is completed and a decision is made.

MOD Ashchurch

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what activities his Department carries out at Ashchurch; and which other Ministry of Defence sites have been identified as having (a) the capacity, (b) the area of land and (c) the skills mix to replicate each such activity; and if he will make a statement.

Philip Dunne: The main employer at the Ministry of Defence Ashchurch site is the Defence Support Group (DSG). DSG carry out a wide range of activities at Ashchurch associated with the management, maintenance, repair, inspection and storage of military equipment.
	Work to identify alternative locations for these activities is still ongoing.

Property Transfer

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when his Department expects to transfer the land earmarked for Portsmouth in its City Deal.

Andrew Murrison: The Ministry of Defence will shortly commence negotiations with Portsmouth city council to agree the terms on which land will be transferred as part of the Portsmouth City Deal. Horsea Island (East) is surplus to Defence requirements and the expectation is that this will be transferred in the spring of 2014. Tipner Ranges remain in regular Defence use so cannot be transferred until suitable facilities have been reprovided elsewhere.

QinetiQ

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what contracts his Department has with QinetiQ; and what the (a) monetary value and (b) length is of each such contract.

Philip Dunne: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) has around 290 current contracts with QinetiQ. Any contracts that the Ministry of Defence (MOD) has with QinetiQ, prior to 2011, is provided as follows. It includes contracts let by MOD Trading Funds, but does not include pan-Government enabling contracts, Government Procurement Card payments or miscellaneous transactions. It includes contracts with Graphics Research Corporation Ltd, which is wholly owned by QinetiQ.
	Since January 2011, as part of this Government's commitment to increase transparency, central Government Departments have been required to publish information on the contracts, worth over £10,000, they award on the Contracts Finder. This information is available online at
	www.contractsfinder.businesslink.gov.uk
	In some instances the contract date is in the past. This could either be because outstanding payments are still to be made under the terms of the existing contract, or the contract has been extended and records have not yet been updated to reflect this.
	
		
			 Contract title Current contract value (£) Contract start date Current contract end date Supplier 
			 Long Term Partnering Agreement 5,040,207,295 14 February 2006 28 March 2028 QinetiQ Ltd 
			 Combined Aerial Target Services 296,700,000 20 November 2008 31 March 2012 QinetiQ Target Services Ltd 
			 T&E Tasking Arrangement-PTPA 6,820,520 6 April 2008 31 March 2028 QinetiQ Ltd 
			 UAV Autonomy and Mission Management 6,271,201 31 March 2010 30 June 2014 QinetiQ Ltd 
			 Management of DE&S Tasking through the Weapons Technology Centre 3,657,760 13 June 2006 31 October 2012 QinetiQ Ltd 
			 The Provision of Safety, Environmental and Airworthiness support of Unmanned Air Systems Team UOR Projects 1,631,175 1 April 2004 31 March 2012 QinetiQ Ltd 
			 Meteor ITEAP and UK Acceptance Case-Stage 2 816,165 21 September 2005 31 March 2009 QinetiQ Ltd 
			 Award Software 800,000 27 October 2004 26 October 2011 QinetiQ Commerce Decisions Ltd 
			 Magnetic Assessment Services 783,975 25 September 2007 31 December 2015 QinetiQ Ltd 
			 Provision of Technical Support for VC10 701,500 1 July 2006 30 June 2013 QinetiQ Ltd 
			 BVRAAM Support 524,769 14 June 2006 31 March 2011 QinetiQ Ltd 
			 Assurance 399,125 1 April 2006 31 March 2008 QinetiQ Ltd 
			 Support Saudi Armed Forces Project 380,620 5 June 2003 31 March 2013 QinetiQ Ltd 
			 Provision of Expert Technical Support to the UK Representative to the NATO LOS CAT 342,500 1 August 2005 31 March 2015 QinetiQ Ltd 
			 Support to NATO Superintendent 296,000 15 September 2005 3 September 2011 QinetiQ Ltd 
		
	
	
		
			 IPA UOR Reference Centre 264,251 24 May 2007 31 May 2014 QinetiQ Ltd 
			 Lightning Flight OPS Support 257,199 1 April 2005 31 March 2013 QinetiQ Ltd 
			 Conduct Live Firings of Harpoon at the Hebrides 96,066 19 September 2005 31 Mar 2014 QinetiQ Ltd 
			 GFE Management October 2012 to September 2013 69,200 6 December 2010 28 February 2011 QinetiQ Ltd 
			 Update of Cost Model and Production of Investment Appraisal for the Ice Patrol Capability 49,524 1 April 2007 31 January 2013 QinetiQ Ltd 
			 Voyager Security Technical Support May 2012 to May 2013 (30 Days) 22,159 3 September 2010 5 August 2011 QinetiQ Ltd 
			 Maritime Strategic Capability Agreement (MSCA) 20,608 1 March 2008 31 March 2023 QinetiQ Ltd 
			 Jaguar Aircraft Equipment Support to DCAE Cosford 17,872 2 Aug 2010 31 Jul 2013 QinetiQ Ltd 
			 Provision of Infrastructure and Services BUTEC Kyle of Lochalsh 12,147 1 Jul 2010 31 May 2012 QinetiQ Ltd 
			 Technical Support to FEW-TSB Foxhill 10,938 1 August 2010 31 March 2013 QinetiQ Ltd 
			 BUTEC Range Management 7,223 12 July 2010 31 July 2014 QinetiQ Ltd 
			 Contract QinetiQ for the use of the Range Facility in support of the LDCU Trial 3,207 1 October 2007 31 December 2013 QinetiQ Ltd 
			 Support to Tornado Project Team 1 1 October 2010 31 March 2015 QinetiQ Ltd

Sea King Helicopters

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the gearbox safety of the Sea King helicopter fleet after the emergency landing of Sea King HU5 ZA130 (8) 19 from HMS Gannet on 13 October 2013.

Philip Dunne: In accordance with standard operating procedures, an immediate investigation was launched following a precautionary landing of a Sea King Mk 5 aircraft from HMS Gannet on 13 October 2013. The investigation was carried out by the Ministry of Defence (MOD) and AgustaWestland, the Design Organisation for the aircraft, and concluded that the risk of this type of fault leading to a serious safety issue is very low. As a precaution, an inspection regime has been instigated to inspect and monitor the gearboxes of all of the MOD Sea King fleet.

Shipbuilding

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions he has had with his US counterpart on the use of the UK for the building of ships for the US Navy; and what steps he is taking to promote the UK as a location for naval ship building in the future.

Philip Dunne: The Secretary of State for Defence and the US Secretary of Defence have not discussed the UK building ships for the US Navy. The UK is inhibited by the restrictions imposed by US Act of Congress 7309. This Act forbids the construction of a military vessel (or any substantial part thereof) at a foreign yard unless authorised by the President, in the interests of national security. Legal restrictions also exist on the leasing of foreign vessels by the US military.
	The UK is actively marketing the Type 26 Global Combat Ship globally. Defence Ministers have discussed the Type 26 with a number of countries and we expect further interest once the UK has made its formal investment decision, which is expected to be in late 2014.